How to Write 晰 (xī) — Meaning “Clear / Distinct”

Imagine the sun (日) shining on a wooden tree (木) and an axe (斤) splitting it apart — the sunlight makes every detail of the wood grain clear and distinct. Think of "X-ray" vision: the sun (日) allows you to "see through" (析) things, making them crisp and clear.

Keep the left radical 日 narrow and tall — do not make it too wide. The right part 析 consists of 木 (four strokes) on top and 斤 (four strokes) below, so write 木 first with a balanced horizontal stroke, then 斤 with two left-falling strokes and a vertical stroke at the end.

㬎 is an ancient, rare character meaning "sunlight" or "bright" and is almost never used in modern Chinese. 晁 is a surname (pronounced Cháo) and also means "morning" or "bright" in historical texts. Only 晰 means "clear" or "distinct" in everyday vocabulary, like in 清晰 (clear).

晰 appears in formal or descriptive words such as 清晰 (clear, for images or sounds) and 明晰 (clear and distinct, for ideas or plans). It is not part of HSK because it is more advanced, but you will often find it in academic writing, news, or personal names where clarity and brightness are valued.

Common words containing 晰 include: 清晰 (qīng xī) — clear; distinct; 明晰 (míng xī) — Clear / Distinct; 辨晰 (biàn xī) — to distinguish clearly; to analyze..