How to Write 歰 (sè) — Meaning “Astringent (archaic variant of 涩)”

Imagine two sharp blades (刃刃) trying to cut your tongue, but you stop (止) them with a pucker — that astringent, dry feeling is 歰. This visual link between stopping blades and a puckering taste helps fix the character in memory.

Write the top radical 止 first, then the left 刃, and finally the right 刃 — keep them balanced and symmetrical. A common mistake is making the two 刃 components too wide or uneven; each should be roughly the same size and centered under 止.

歰味 (sè wèi) means an astringent taste, like unripe fruit or strong tea. 艰歰 (jiān sè) describes writing or speech that is hard to read, abstruse, or obscure. 枯歰 (kū sè) refers to a dry and rough texture, such as dry skin or withered leaves.

歰 is an archaic variant of the standard character 涩 (sè) and is rarely used in everyday modern Chinese. You might encounter it in classical poetry, historical texts, or traditional dictionaries, where it carries the same astringent meaning but adds a classical flavor.

Common words containing 歰 include: 歰味 (sè wèi) — Astringent taste; 艰歰 (jiān sè) — abstruse; hard to read; 枯歰 (kū sè) — dry and rough.