How to Write 希 (xī) — Meaning “rare; hope”

Imagine a cross (乂) lying on a piece of cloth (巾), and you hope to find something rare there. The cross looks like a person raising their arms in hope. Picture this scene to link the shape to the sound xī and meanings "hope; rare."

Write the top part 乂 first as a left-falling stroke then a right-falling stroke crossing near the top. The bottom 巾 starts with a left vertical stroke, then a horizontal with a hook, and finally a vertical stroke down the middle. Keep the cross centered above the cloth, and do not make the cross too small or too wide.

希 has a cross (乂) on top, while 市 has a dot and a horizontal line (亠) above 巾, and 布 has just a horizontal line (一) above 巾. In meaning, 希 means "rare" or "hope," 市 means "market," and 布 means "cloth." Visually, remember that 希 looks like a cross over cloth, not a dot or a simple line.

The most common word is 希望 (xī wàng) meaning "to hope" or "hope," used in daily conversation like 我希望你快乐 (I hope you are happy). 希 also appears in 希腊 (Xī là) for "Greece" and 希罕 (xī hǎn) meaning "rare" or "to care about." It is a versatile character, mostly used in positive expressions of desire or uniqueness.

Common words containing 希 include: 希望 (xī wàng) — to hope; hope; 希腊 (xī là) — Greece; 希罕 (xī hǎn) — rare; to value; to care about.