How to Write 鼷 (xī) — Meaning “Mouse”

Imagine a mouse (鼠) that says "hee hee" (xī) as it sneaks around. The right part 奚 looks like a mouse with two big ears (爫) and a long tail (幺). This silly sound and image can help you recall the character.

With 23 strokes, the left side 鼠 has many hooks and turns—make sure the bottom part (like three small hooks) is clear. The right side 奚 starts with 爫 (three strokes), then 大, then 幺 (three strokes); keep the right side narrower than the left. A common mistake is to make the left side too wide or to connect strokes incorrectly.

The key difference is the right side component: 鼷 has 奚 (xī), 鼱 has 井 (jǐng) meaning "well," and 鼹 has 垔 (yīn) meaning "to block." Visually, 鼷's right side is taller with a claw-like top, while 鼱 has a simple square and 鼹 has a complex lower part. In meaning, 鼷 generally refers to a mouse, 鼱 to a shrew, and 鼹 to a mole.

鼷 is very rare in daily conversation and mostly appears in classical texts or scientific names for animals. For example, 鼷鼠 (xī shǔ) means "mouse" and 鼷鹿 (xī lù) is a "mouse-deer." You might see it in zoology books but not in common speech.

Common words containing 鼷 include: 鼷鼠 (xī shǔ) — Mouse; 鼷鹿 (xī lù) — Mouse-deer.