How to Write 屎 (shǐ) — Meaning “Excrement; poop.”

Imagine a dead body (尸) that has eaten too much rice (米), and the result is a pile of poop. This visual helps connect the two parts to the meaning "excrement."

Write the top radical 尸 with a flat horizontal stroke, then a left-falling stroke, and a short horizontal ending inside. Below it, write 米 with the cross strokes centered, making sure the 尸 covers the top of 米 without touching the vertical line.

屎 means solid waste, while 尿 means liquid waste (urine). 尾 uses the same radical 尸 but with 毛 (fur/hair) underneath, meaning tail — so visually 屎 has rice under the body, 尿 has water (水), and 尾 has hair.

屎 is a direct word for poop and is common in daily speech, especially in phrases like 拉屎 (to poop). It is not considered very vulgar but is still informal; in polite settings, people may use softer terms like 大便 (dàbiàn) instead.

Common words containing 屎 include: 拉屎 (lā shǐ) — To have a bowel movement / To poop; 鸟屎 (niǎo shǐ) — bird droppings; 眼屎 (yǎn shǐ) — eye discharge.