Hanzi Writer

How to Write 色 (sè/shǎi) — Meaning “color; look; expression”

sè/shǎi HSK Level 2 6 strokes Radical: 色

色 (sè/shǎi) means "color; look; expression" in Chinese. It has 6 strokes with the radical 色, and is HSK Level 2.

Rated 2/5 in difficulty (beginner-friendly).

Harder than 9% of HSK Level 2 characters.

Appears in 4+ common words including 颜色 (yán sè), 色彩 (sè cǎi), 色子 (shǎi zǐ).

In the Hanzi Writer app, most learners master 色 within 3 practice attempts using stroke-by-stroke animation.

Stroke order practice for 色 - sè/shǎi

Practice Writing 色 (sè/shǎi)

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

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How to Write 色

The character 色 (sè/shǎi) is written with 6 strokes. Follow the standard Chinese stroke order: top to bottom, left to right, outside before inside. The radical 色 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 sè/shǎi (色) Mean in Chinese?

色 means color; look; expression.

This is a polyphonic character with readings: sè, shǎi.

As an HSK Level 2 character, 色 is among the first characters beginners learn.

Character Data

Character色
Pinyinsè / shǎi (se/shai)
Meaningcolor; look; expression
Strokes6
Radical色
HSK Level2
Difficulty2/5

Origin of 色

The character 色 originally depicted a person (人) standing above a kneeling figure (卩), representing the expression or appearance on a person's face. Over time, this came to mean 'color' and 'look' as extensions of visible traits.

💡 Memory Tip: Picture a person (the top part) with a colorful scarf (the bottom part that looks like a draped cloth) showing their expression or mood.

Common Words with 色

颜色 yán sè
Color
色彩 sè cǎi
color; hue
色子 shǎi zǐ
dice
掉色 diào sè
to fade; to lose color

Example Sentences

你最喜欢哪种颜色？我喜欢蔚蓝色。

nǐ zuì xǐ huān nǎ zhǒng yán sè wǒ xǐ huān wèi lán sè

Which color do you like best? I like azure blue.

这幅油画的色彩运用得非常大胆。

zhè fú yóu huà de sè cǎi yùn yòng dé fēi cháng dà dǎn

The use of color in this oil painting is very bold.

玩游戏时，大家都紧张地等待色子的结果。

wán yóu xì shí dà jiā dōu jǐn zhāng dì děng dài shǎi zǐ de jié guǒ

While playing the game, everyone waited nervously for the result of the dice.

这种廉价的衣服下水洗几次就开始掉色了。

zhè zhǒng lián jià de yī fú xià shuǐ xǐ jǐ cì jiù kāi shǐ diào sè le

This cheap clothing starts to fade after a few washes.

Stroke order practice for 色 - sè/shǎi

Practice Writing 色 (sè/shǎi)

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

✨ Animated stroke order · Handwriting recognition · HSK-graded practice · Free to use

App Store ▶ Google Play

Frequently Asked Questions about 色

The character 色 is made of a top part (⺈) that represents a person, and a bottom part (巴) that originally meant a snake or a curled shape. Together, they depict a person’s facial expression or complexion, which connects to the meanings of 'color' and 'look'.

More HSK Level 2 Characters

啊a/ā/á/ǎ/à情qíng安ān静jìng全quán长cháng/zhǎng办bàn法fǎ公gōng室shì夜yè助zhù饱bǎo报bào纸zhǐ背bēi/bèi如rú笔bǐ必bì须xū

Characters with Radical 色

艳yàn艴fú

Other 6-Stroke Characters

㐆yǐn㓞qià丞chéng丢diū乑yín乒pīng乓pāng乔qiáo乩jī买mǎi