How to Write 吸 (xī) — Meaning “to inhale”

Imagine your mouth (口) is opening wide to suck in air, and your hand is reaching out (及) to grab that breath. Picture the right side 及 as a hand reaching toward the left mouth, helping you remember that 吸 means to inhale or attract inward.

Write the radical 口 first as a small square on the left, then the right side 及 with the stroke order: left-falling, horizontal, left-falling, and finally the right-falling stroke that extends lower. A common mistake is making the 口 too big or misaligning the two parts — the 口 should sit near the top-left, and the bottom of 及 should go slightly below it.

吸 uses the mouth radical with 及, meaning to inhale or attract, while 卟 (bǔ) is a rare character used in divination (like 卟卦) and 古 (gǔ) means ancient or old. Visually, 吸 has an extra stroke on the right (及) compared to 古, and 卟 has a different right component (卜) instead of 及, making their sounds and meanings completely distinct.

吸 is common in words like 吸烟 (xī yān, to smoke) and 吸引 (xī yǐn, to attract), and is essential for 呼吸 (hū xī, to breathe). In China, 吸烟 carries strong health warnings in public places, and the verb 吸 is also used for drinking through a straw (吸管, xī guǎn) — it always involves pulling something inward, whether air, smoke, or liquid.

Common words containing 吸 include: 呼吸 (hū xī) — to breathe / respiration; 吸引 (xī yǐn) — to attract; 吸烟 (xī yān) — to smoke.