How to Write 淅 (xī) — Meaning “sound of rain or wind; washing rice”

Imagine rain falling on a transparent umbrella — the water (氵) splits (析) into tiny droplets, making a 'xī xī' pattering sound. This visual links the water component and the phonetic 析 to the character’s meaning of gentle rain or wind sounds.

The left radical 氵 should be narrow and aligned vertically, with the three dots slightly curved. On the right, 析 has a balanced structure: the 木 on top (with a short horizontal stroke) and 斤 below, making sure the whole character is not too wide or uneven. A common mistake is making the left side too large or forgetting the short horizontal stroke in 木.

淅 focuses on the sound of rain or wind (e.g., 淅淅) or washing rice, while 洁 (jié) means 'clean' or 'pure,' and 洄 (huí) means 'to flow backward' or 'whirlpool.' Visually, 淅 has 析 on the right, 洁 has 吉, and 洄 has 回, so the right side is the key to telling them apart.

淅 appears almost exclusively in descriptive, literary contexts — especially in phrases like 淅淅 (xī xī, pattering of rain) and 淅沥 (xī lì, light rain sound). You might encounter it in poetry, essays, weather descriptions, or lyrics, but it is not used in everyday conversation. It carries a gentle, rhythmic, almost onomatopoeic quality.

Common words containing 淅 include: 淅淅 (xī xī) — patter or rustle (sound of rain or wind); 淅沥 (xī lì) — patter (sound of light rain); 淅淅沥沥 (xī xī lì lì) — pattering (of rain or leaves).