How to Write 泣 (qì) — Meaning “To weep; to sob.”

Imagine a person standing (立) with tears (氵) streaming from their eyes — the water drops on the left represent the tears. You can also associate the pinyin "qì" with the sound of a quiet sob or sniffle. The image of a weeping person standing still helps fix the character in your mind.

Write the left radical 氵 first: three dots in a slight leftward curve. Then write 立: start with the top point, the horizontal line, the left dot, the right-falling stroke, and finish with the bottom horizontal line. A common mistake is making the right part too tall or uneven — keep the whole character balanced, with the water dots near the upper left side of 立.

Unlike 泣, which means to weep, 㳄 (xián) is an archaic character meaning saliva or drool, and 汊 (chà) means a branch of a river or stream. Visually, 泣 uses 立 (stand) on the right, 汊 uses 叉 (fork), and 㳄 uses 欠 (yawn or lack). Their meanings are completely unrelated despite sharing the water radical.

泣 appears in formal or literary contexts, such as in the compound words 哭泣 (to cry loudly) and 抽泣 (to sob quietly). It is less common in everyday speech than the simpler 哭. Culturally, 泣 is often found in classical poetry and idioms like 泣不成声 (to choke with sobs), conveying a deep, sorrowful emotion rather than casual crying.

Common words containing 泣 include: 哭泣 (kū qì) — To weep / To sob; 抽泣 (chōu qì) — to sob; 泣 (qì) — To weep; to sob..