How to Write 瘜 (xī) — Meaning “polyp”

Picture a sick nose (疒) that cannot breathe (息) because of a polyp blocking it. The character combines "sick" and "breath" to remind you of this medical problem. Think of "sick breath" to recall that 瘜 means a polyp that interferes with airflow.

Start with the illness radical 疒 in the top-left: dot, horizontal, left-falling stroke, dot, then lift. Then write 息 on the right: first the 自 part (six strokes) and finally the heart radical 心 (four strokes). A common mistake is making the bottom of 息 too wide or forgetting the small dot inside 疒.

While all three use the illness radical 疒, 瘜 specifically means a polyp, from 息 (breath), often in the nose or throat. 痰 (tán) means phlegm, and its component 炎 (fire) suggests inflammation. 痱 (fèi) means prickly heat rash, from 非 (wrong/not), indicating an abnormal skin condition.

瘜 is a medical term found in hospital reports or health articles about polyps, such as in nasal polyps (鼻瘜) or throat polyps (喉瘜). It is not used in everyday conversation and is less common than English "polyp." You might also see it in traditional Chinese medicine texts describing growths in the body.

Common words containing 瘜 include: 瘜肉 (xī ròu) — polyp (medical); 鼻瘜 (bí xī) — Nasal polyp; 喉瘜 (hóu xī) — throat polyp.