How to Write 死 (sǐ) — Meaning “To die; dead”

Imagine the left side 歹 looks like a skull with two eye holes (the horizontal strokes) and the right side 匕 looks like a person lying flat. Picture a skull next to a dead body to remember 死 means 'dead.'

Write the left part 歹 first: horizontal, left-falling stroke, dot, then horizontal (4 strokes). Then add the right part 匕: left-falling stroke and vertical turning hook (2 strokes total). A common mistake is making the right part too big or confusing it with 七 (qī, seven).

歹 is simply the left half of 死 and means 'bad' or 'evil,' but not 'dead.' 歼 adds 千 (thousand) to the left radical 歹, meaning 'to annihilate' or 'destroy.' 死 specifically means 'death' or 'to die.'

It literally means 'to die,' as in 他死了 (tā sǐ le, he died). It is also used to show extreme feelings, like 累死 (lèi sǐ, exhausted) or 烦死 (fán sǐ, annoyed to death). In culture, discussing death directly can be blunt, but 死 is common in everyday exaggerations.

Common words containing 死 include: 死了 (sǐ le) — Dead; died; 累死 (lèi sǐ) — to be exhausted, extremely tired; 死亡 (sǐ wáng) — Death.