How to Write 滑 (huá) — Meaning “slippery; smooth; slide”

Imagine a bone (骨) that is covered in water (氵), making it so slippery that it slides right out of your hand. This visual of a wet, sliding bone directly reminds you that 滑 means 'slippery' or 'slide'.

Write the left radical 氵 first (three dots: dot, dot, curved stroke). Then the right part 骨: start with the vertical stroke at the top, then the left and right parts. A common mistake is making the 骨 portion too wide; keep it narrow so the character stays balanced.

滑 (slippery/slide) uses 氵 + 骨 (bone), while 流 (flow) uses 氵 + a phonetic component and means 'to flow'. 浙 (Zhejiang) uses 氵 + 折 (break) and is a river name. Visually, 滑 has the complex 骨 on the right, unlike 流's simpler right side and 浙's 折.

滑 appears in winter sports like 滑雪 (skiing) and 滑冰 (ice skating), both popular activities. It's also used for warnings like 地滑 (slippery ground) on signs. Culturally, 滑 carries a neutral or negative connotation when describing a person as 'slippery' or untrustworthy.

Common words containing 滑 include: 滑雪 (huá xuě) — skiing; 滑冰 (huá bīng) — ice skating; 地滑 (dì huá) — Slippery ground.