How to Write 烁 (shuò) — Meaning “to glisten / to glimmer”

Picture a campfire (火) at a joyful concert (乐) where the flames flicker and glimmer in rhythm with the music. The bright, dancing fire matches the character‘s meaning of glistening or sparkling.

Write the left radical 火 first: dot, short slash, long slash, and two dots in order. Then on the right, write 乐: start with a left-falling stroke, then the horizontal strokes from top to bottom, and finish with the vertical hook. Keep the right side slightly narrower than the left so the character stays balanced.

烁 (shuò) means ‘to glimmer‘ and has 火 on the left with 乐. 灶 (zào) means ‘kitchen stove‘ and has 火 on the left with 土 (earth). 灸 (jiǔ) means ‘moxibustion‘ and has 火 at the bottom with 久 (long time). Focus on the different right or bottom parts to distinguish them.

烁 appears mainly in the common word 闪烁 (shǎn shuò), meaning ‘to twinkle‘ or ‘to flicker,‘ often for stars, lights, or eyes. It is also used in 烁烁 (shuò shuò) for sparkling things, and in 眼神闪烁 (yǎn shén shǎn shuò) to describe shifty, evasive eyes. The character has a poetic feel and is not in the HSK list.

Common words containing 烁 include: 闪烁 (shǎn shuò) — To twinkle / To flicker; 烁烁 (shuò shuò) — glittering; sparkling; 眼神闪烁 (yǎn shén shǎn shuò) — shifty eyes.