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How to Write 驶 (shǐ) — Meaning “To drive; to sail”

shǐ HSK Level 5 8 strokes Radical: 马

驶 (shǐ) means "To drive; to sail" in Chinese. It has 8 strokes with the radical 马, and is HSK Level 5.

Rated 3.7/5 in difficulty (challenging).

Harder than 40% of HSK Level 5 characters.

Appears in 3+ common words including 驾驶 (jià shǐ), 行驶 (xíng shǐ), 驶向 (shǐ xiàng).

Due to its 8 strokes, Hanzi Writer's error detection shows 驶 requires focused practice — most learners need 10+ attempts for consistent accuracy.

Stroke order practice for 驶 - shǐ

Practice Writing 驶 (shǐ)

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

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How to Write 驶

The character 驶 (shǐ) is written with 8 strokes. Follow the standard Chinese stroke order: top to bottom, left to right, outside before inside. The radical 马 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 shǐ (驶) Mean in Chinese?

驶 means To drive; to sail.

As an HSK Level 5 character, 驶 is an intermediate-level character.

Character Data

Character驶
Pinyinshǐ (shi)
MeaningTo drive; to sail
Strokes8
Radical马
HSK Level5
Difficulty3.7/5

Origin of 驶

驶 is a compound character combining the radical 马 (horse) and the phonetic component 史 (history). The horse radical indicates the meaning relates to driving or riding, as horses were the primary means of transportation. Together, the character suggests a horse moving swiftly, like a chariot driving through history.

💡 Memory Tip: Picture a horse (马) racing through the pages of history (史) as it drives forward at full speed.

Common Words with 驶

驾驶 jià shǐ
to drive; to pilot
行驶 xíng shǐ
To drive (a vehicle)
驶向 shǐ xiàng
To head for; to sail towards

Example Sentences

他在学习驾驶汽车。

tā zài xué xí jià shǐ qì chē

He is learning to drive a car.

车辆请靠右行驶。

chē liàng qǐng kào yòu xíng shǐ

Vehicles please keep to the right.

轮船驶向大海深处。

lún chuán shǐ xiàng dà hǎi shēn chù

The ship sailed into the deep sea.

Similar Characters Comparison

Character Pinyin Strokes Radical
驶 (current) shǐ 8 马
驮 duò / tuó 6 马
驯 xùn 6 马
驰 chí 6 马
Stroke order practice for 驶 - shǐ

Practice Writing 驶 (shǐ)

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

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

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Frequently Asked Questions about 驶

驶 is made of the radical 马 (horse) on the left and the phonetic component 史 (shǐ) on the right. The horse radical connects to the idea of vehicles or movement, while 史 provides the pronunciation. Together, they form a character meaning 'to drive' or 'to sail'.

More HSK Level 5 Characters

慰wèi岸àn摩mó拔bá拜bài版bǎn扮bàn棒bàng怨yuàn悲bēi辈bèi鼻bí彼bǐ幕mù辑jí宾bīn饼bǐng毒dú玻bō璃lí

Characters with Radical 马

马mǎ驭yù驮duò/tuó驯xùn驰chí驱qū驳bó驴lǘ驵zǎng驷sì

Other 8-Stroke Characters

㐭lǐn丧sāng/sàng乖guāi乳rǔ乶fǔ事shì些xiē亟jí享xiǎng京jīng