How to Write 滊 (xì) — Meaning “steam (variant of 汽)”

Picture a pot of water (氵) heating up and releasing gas (氣) as steam. The two parts visually combine into "water becoming gas," which is exactly what steam is. This connects the shape to the meaning in a simple way.

The right side 氣 has many strokes and a complex structure—pay special attention to the small 米 inside and the 气 radical on top. A common mistake is to simplify it to 汽 (with 气 only), but 滊 uses the full 氣 component, so keep all strokes balanced and clear.

滊 (steam) has the right side 氣 (gas), while 涪 has 咅 and is used for the name of a river (Fú River). 涫 has 官 on the right and means 'to boil' or 'to bubble'. So visually, the right components differ, and their meanings are unrelated to steam.

滊 is a less common variant of 汽 and appears mainly in older texts or specialized vocabulary, such as 滊水 (soda water), 滊车 (car), and 滊船 (steamboat). In everyday modern Chinese, the simplified character 汽 is standard, so 滊 is rarely used except in historical or regional contexts.

Common words containing 滊 include: 滊水 (xì shuǐ) — soda; carbonated water; 滊车 (xì chē) — car; automobile; 滊船 (xì chuán) — steamboat.