How to Write 膝 (xī) — Meaning “knee”

Think of the left part 月 as a kneecap, and the right part 桼 as a tree (木) with water (氺) dripping from it. This image can remind you that your knee feels hard like wood and watery when injured.

The left part 月 should be narrow and take up about one-third of the width. The right part 桼 is taller: write 木 on top (four strokes) and then 氺 below (three strokes, with a left dot, right dot, and a horizontal line). A common mistake is to make the bottom part too wide.

All three have the 月 radical, but their right sides are different. 膝 has 桼 (wood + water), 朦 has 蒙 (covering), and 腠 has 奏 (playing music). In meaning, 膝 is the knee, 朦 means 'dim or hazy', and 腠 refers to skin muscles.

You often see 膝 in common words like 膝盖 (kneecap) and 护膝 (knee pad) for sports or health. In Chinese culture, 膝下 (xī xià) means 'at one's knees' and is used to talk about children or parents, showing respect and closeness.

Common words containing 膝 include: 膝盖 (xī gài) — knee; kneecap; 护膝 (hù xī) — knee pad; 膝下 (xī xià) — at one's knees (referring to children).