How to Write 祟 (suì) — Meaning “Evil spirit; to haunt”

Imagine a ghost (示) suddenly popping out (出) to scare you. The visual of 'exit' plus 'spirit' helps you remember that 祟 means a haunting spirit.

Write the top part 出 first with 5 strokes, keeping it narrow, then write the bottom 示 with 5 strokes, which should be slightly wider. A common mistake is to make the top too wide or to mix up the stroke order in 出, so practice 出 separately.

The key is the top part: 祟 has 出 (exit) on top, while 票 has 覀 (west) on top and 祘 consists of two 示 radicals stacked vertically. All three share the bottom 示, so focus on the top shape — 祟's top looks like a small mountain with three vertical lines.

祟 appears in words like 作祟 (to cause trouble or haunt) and 鬼鬼祟祟 (sneaky, furtive). It always carries a negative meaning, often related to supernatural harm or secret bad behavior. In Chinese culture, saying something is '鬼祟' implies an eerie or suspicious atmosphere.

Common words containing 祟 include: 作祟 (zuò suì) — to haunt; to cause trouble; 鬼鬼祟祟 (guǐ guǐ suì suì) — Sneaky; 邪祟 (xié suì) — Evil spirit / Ghostly influence.