How to Write 谢 (xiè) — Meaning “to thank; to wither; to decline”

Picture yourself saying 'thank you' (讠) while bowing your body (身) and offering a small gift of one inch (寸). This combines the right side 身 and 寸 into a visual of a polite thank-you gesture.

Write the left radical 讠 first (dot, then horizontal fold), then the right part 射. For 射, the stroke order of 身 is important: left slash, vertical, horizontal fold hook, two horizontals, vertical, then a final horizontal. A common mistake is making the right side too wide or mixing up the order of strokes in 身.

All three use the speech radical 讠, but their right sides differ. 谢 has 身 and 寸, meaning 'thank' or 'decline'. 请 has 青 (green/blue) and means 'please' or 'invite'. 诸 has 者 (person) and means 'various' or 'all'. Visually, the right parts are distinct: 谢's combines body and inch, 请's is like 'qing', and 诸's is like 'zhe'.

The most common use is 谢谢 (xiè xie) for 'thank you', which is polite but not overused with close friends or family. 谢 also appears in 感谢 (gǎn xiè, gratitude) and can mean 'to wither' (e.g., 花谢了, the flowers have withered) or 'to decline' (e.g., 谢绝, to refuse). It is also a common surname.

Common words containing 谢 include: 谢谢 (xiè xiè) — thank you; 感谢 (gǎn xiè) — to thank / gratitude; 谢礼 (xiè lǐ) — a thank-you gift.