How to Write 暹 (xiān) — Meaning “sunrise; Siam (old name for Thailand)”

Picture a Siamese cat (暹罗猫) sitting in the morning sun. The left side 日 is the sun, and the right side 辵 looks like a cat walking toward the light.

The left radical 日 should be narrow, not wide, and the right part 辵 has three strokes: the first is a short dash, then a horizontal bend, and finally a sweeping curve. Keep the overall balance, with the right side slightly taller than the left.

㬎 is a rare character meaning "to manifest" and looks like 日 on top of 糸 (silk), while 暄 means "warm" (sunny and warm) and has 日 on left with 亘 (solid line). 暹 has the walking radical 辵 on the right, giving it the meanings of sunrise and Siam.

Today 暹 mainly appears in proper names from Thai geography and culture, such as 暹罗湾 (Gulf of Thailand) and 暹罗猫 (Siamese cat). It is not common in everyday conversation but is essential for reading historical or travel content about Thailand.

Common words containing 暹 include: 暹罗猫 (xiān luó māo) — Siamese cat; 暹罗湾 (xiān luó wān) — Gulf of Thailand; Gulf of Siam; 暹罗人 (xiān luó rén) — Siamese; Thai people.