How to Write 厶 (sī) — Meaning “private; secret (archaic)”

Imagine a small snake curling into a circle to hide its secret treasure — the curved shape 厶 represents something hidden or private. The two strokes look like a closed loop, reminding you that private matters are often kept secret. Think of it as a tiny lock protecting your personal stuff.

厶 has two strokes: first a left-falling diagonal (piě), then a right-curving hook (héng zhé wān gōu) that curves back. The most common mistake is making the second stroke too open; it should curl inward nearly touching the start of the first stroke. Keep the proportions compact and balanced — not too wide or tall.

厶 (sī) means 'private' and has only two strokes, while 厷 (gōng) adds a dot on top and means 'arm' or is an archaic form of 公 (public). 厹 (róu or qiú) has an extra stroke like a short horizontal or dot and appears in characters related to 'soft' or 'fur'. Visually, 厶 is the simplest — just two strokes without any extra marks.

厶 is almost never used alone in modern Chinese and is not part of the HSK vocabulary. It survives mainly as a radical in characters like 私 (sī, private) and 公 (gōng, public), where it contrasts with the 'public' component. You may encounter it in classical texts or calligraphy, but for everyday language learning, focus on its role as a building block rather than a standalone word.

Common words containing 厶 include: 厶事 (sī shì) — private matter (archaic); 厶有 (sī yǒu) — private ownership (archaic); 厶人 (sī rén) — private person (archaic).