How to Write 灭 (miè) — Meaning “To extinguish / To go out”

Picture a fire (火) with a heavy lid (the horizontal line) placed on top, smothering the flames. This image of pressing down on fire helps you recall that 灭 means 'to extinguish'.

Start with the top-left dot of 火, then the left slash, then the right slash, and the final dot, followed by the horizontal line at the bottom. A common mistake is making the horizontal line too long or too short—it should be slightly wider than the fire component above to look balanced.

火 means 'fire' and is a standalone character without the horizontal cover, while 灭 has that extra line to indicate extinguishing. 灯 (dēng, lamp) includes 火 as a radical but adds the component 丁 for sound, and its meaning relates to 'light' rather than 'extinguish'.

灭 is commonly used in safety contexts like 灭火 (put out a fire) and 灭火器 (fire extinguisher). It also appears in idioms like 自取灭亡 (to bring destruction upon oneself) and in abstract uses, such as 灭掉希望 (to extinguish hope), reflecting its core meaning of suppression or elimination.

Common words containing 灭 include: 灭火 (miè huǒ) — To put out a fire; 熄灭 (xī miè) — to extinguish; to put out; 灭火器 (miè huǒ qì) — Fire extinguisher.