Hanzi Writer

How to Write 鳃 (sāi) — Meaning “gill”

sāi 17 strokes Radical: 鱼

鳃 (sāi) means "gill" in Chinese. It has 17 strokes with the radical 鱼.

Rated 4.2/5 in difficulty (advanced).

Appears in 3+ common words including 鱼鳃 (yú sāi), 鳃部 (sāi bù), 鳃盖 (sāi gài).

Due to its 17 strokes, Hanzi Writer's error detection shows 鳃 requires focused practice — most learners need 10+ attempts for consistent accuracy.

Stroke order practice for 鳃 - sāi

Practice Writing 鳃 (sāi)

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How to Write 鳃

The character 鳃 (sāi) is written with 17 strokes. Follow the standard Chinese stroke order: top to bottom, left to right, outside before inside. The radical 鱼 is one of its key components.

Practice the correct stroke order with the Hanzi Writer app to see animated stroke-by-stroke guidance with real-time feedback.

What Does sāi (鳃) Mean in Chinese?

鳃 means gill.

Character Data

Character鳃
Pinyinsāi (sai)
Meaninggill
Strokes17
Radical鱼
Difficulty4.2/5

Origin of 鳃

鳃 is a phono-semantic compound combining the radical 鱼 (fish) and the phonetic component 思 (sī). The fish radical indicates the meaning relates to fish anatomy, while 思 provides the pronunciation. Gills are the respiratory organs of fish, visible on the sides of the head.

💡 Memory Tip: Imagine a fish (鱼) using its gills to 'think' (思) about how to breathe underwater.

Common Words with 鳃

鱼鳃 yú sāi
Fish gills
鳃部 sāi bù
gill area
鳃盖 sāi gài
gill cover (operculum)

Example Sentences

鱼用鱼鳃呼吸。

yú yòng yú sāi hū xī

Fish breathe through their gills.

鱼的鳃部是红色的。

yú de sāi bù shì hóng sè de

The fish's gills are red.

鳃盖保护着鱼鳃。

sāi gài bǎo hù zhe yú sāi

The gill cover protects the gills.

Similar Characters Comparison

Character Pinyin Strokes Radical
鳃 (current) sāi 17 鱼
鲠 gěng 15 鱼
鲡 lí 15 鱼
鲢 lián 15 鱼
Stroke order practice for 鳃 - sāi

Practice Writing 鳃 (sāi)

Open Hanzi Writer to see the animated stroke order and practice writing 鳃 with real-time feedback.

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Frequently Asked Questions about 鳃

The character 鳃 is made of the radical 鱼 on the left, which means "fish," indicating the meaning is related to fish. The right part is 思, which usually means "to think," but here it provides a phonetic clue for the pronunciation sāi, although the tones differ.

Characters with Radical 鱼

鱼yú鱿yóu鲁lǔ鲂fáng鲃bā鲅bà鲆píng鲇nián鲈lú鲋fù

Other 17-Stroke Characters

儡lěi嚄huō嚅rú嚎háo嚏tì嚓cā/chā壑hè壕háo嬲niǎo嬷mā