How to Write 厦 (shà/xià) — Meaning “mansion; large building”

Picture a giant summer mansion: the top radical 厂 looks like a roof, and the bottom 夏 reminds you of summer heat. Imagine escaping the hot summer sun into a cool, grand mansion or large building.

The top radical 厂 must have a leftward slant and a horizontal stroke extending right, not too short. The bottom part 夏 has a narrow top (self radical 自) and a wide bottom (夊), so ensure the lower half is balanced with the upper roof. A common mistake is writing the bottom too small or misplacing the horizontal stroke in 厂.

厦 (shà) means a mansion or large building, while 厝 (cuò) refers to placing or a coffin, and 原 (yuán) means origin or plain. Visually, 厝 has a different bottom (昔) and 原 has a different bottom (泉 or 白 plus 小), so compare the lower components carefully to avoid confusion.

厦 appears in common words like 大厦 (dà shà, large building) for skyscrapers or mansions, and in the city name 厦门 (Xià mén, Xiamen). Note that in Xiamen, the pronunciation shifts to 'xia' instead of 'sha', which is a special case for this place name.

Common words containing 厦 include: 大厦 (dà shà) — Mansion / large building; 厦门 (xià mén) — Xiamen; 厦屋 (shà wū) — large house; mansion.