How to Write 失 (shī) — Meaning “to lose / to fail”

Imagine a big person (大) dropping a stick (丿) and losing it — the stick falls away from the hand, symbolizing loss. This picture helps you link the shape to the idea of losing something.

Write 失 with 5 strokes: left-falling stroke first, then two horizontal lines, then another left-falling, and finally a right-falling stroke. A common mistake is making the second horizontal too long — keep it shorter than the top stroke to maintain balance.

Unlike 大 (big, three strokes), 失 has an extra left-falling stroke that cuts through the middle, and it means 'lose' not 'big'. 买 (to buy) has a top hook (乛) and a dot underneath, while 失 has a simple downward stroke with no hook or dot.

失 appears in common compounds like 失败 (failure, shī bài) and 失望 (disappointed, shī wàng), often in formal or written contexts. Culturally, 失败 is frequently used in sports and business to discuss setbacks, while 失望 expresses a deep emotional response to unmet expectations.

Common words containing 失 include: 丢失 (diū shī) — to lose; lost; 失败 (shī bài) — failure / to fail; 失望 (shī wàng) — disappointed / disappointment.