How to Write 霡 (mài) — Meaning “Drizzle”

Imagine the rain radical on top and think of the lower part as many tiny water droplets falling in a steady stream — like the word "mist" but with more rain. You can associate 霡 with the sound "mài" and picture a soft drizzle wetting the ground without any loud noise.

Pay special attention to the lower component: it is not the same as the common character 脉 (mài). The left side of the lower part should be written with the correct number of strokes (a short sweep), and the right side must be balanced under the 雨 radical. Avoid making the lower part too wide, as it should stay compact under the rain cover.

While 霡 and 霂 both refer to drizzle, 霡 is used in compounds like 霡霂 (mài mù) to emphasize light continuous rain, and 霂 is rarely used alone. In contrast, 霄 (xiāo) means clouds or the sky, with the 雨 radical but a different lower part (肖) indicating height, not rain intensity.

霡 is a very rare character not found in HSK or everyday conversation; it appears mainly in classical poetry or literary descriptions of gentle rain. You might see it in the phrase 霡霂 or 霡雨 when depicting a serene, drizzling scene in nature writing or historical texts.

Common words containing 霡 include: 霡霂 (mài mù) — Drizzle; 霡雨 (mài yǔ) — Drizzling rain; 霡霡 (mài mài) — Drizzling.