How to Write 心 (xīn) — Meaning “heart; mind”

Imagine the character looks like a stylized heart with a curved bottom and three small drops of blood (the dots) flowing from it. This visual mnemonic helps you connect the shape to its meaning of 'heart' or 'mind'.

The stroke order is: left dot, then a horizontal hook (a curved line that goes right then down-left), followed by the middle dot and finally the right dot. A common mistake is making the hook too flat or spacing the dots unevenly—the middle dot should be slightly higher than the other two.

The character 心 is a standalone four-stroke shape with a curved hook. ⺗ is a radical form used at the bottom of characters (like in 想 or 思), appearing as three dots in a row without the hook. 必 means 'must' and has five strokes, including an extra diagonal line that cuts through the hook area.

心 appears in many common words related to emotions and thoughts, such as 担心 (to worry) and 心情 (mood). Culturally, the heart is considered the center of both feeling and thinking in Chinese tradition, so 心 often combines emotional and mental aspects in ways English separates into 'heart' and 'mind'.

Common words containing 心 include: 担心 (dān xīn) — to worry; to be anxious; 小心 (xiǎo xīn) — Be careful; watch out; 心情 (xīn qíng) — mood.