How to Write 碎 (suì) — Meaning “Broken or fragmented”

Imagine a stone (石) being hit by a soldier (卒) with a hammer, causing it to shatter into tiny fragments. The soldier’s repeated strikes finish (卒) the job, leaving only broken pieces. This visual helps you link the parts to the meaning of broken or shattered.

Pay close attention to the right side 卒: write the top dot first, then a left-falling stroke, followed by a horizontal line and a vertical stroke through the center. The lower part has two dots and a final horizontal line. A common mistake is making the right side too wide or mixing up the order of the lower dots.

碎 has 卒 on the right side, meaning broken pieces. 砦 has 此 (this) on top of 石 and means a fortress made of stone. 硅 has 圭 (a jade tablet) on the right and is the chemical element silicon. Focus on the different right-side components: 卒, 此, and 圭.

碎 describes anything broken into small pieces, like 碎片 (fragment) or 打碎 (to smash). You will see it in everyday contexts such as 碎纸机 (paper shredder) or 碎玻璃 (shattered glass). In literature, it can also describe a broken heart or fragmented thoughts.

Common words containing 碎 include: 碎片 (suì piàn) — Fragment or shard; 打碎 (dǎ suì) — to smash; to break into pieces; 碎纸 (suì zhǐ) — Shredded paper.