How to Write 新 (xīn) — Meaning “new; fresh”

Imagine a parent (亲) using an axe (斤) to chop down a tree to build a brand-new house. The action of cutting creates something fresh and new, linking the two parts to the meaning.

Write the left part 亲 first: dot, horizontal, horizontal, vertical, horizontal, left-falling, right-falling. Then the right part 斤: left-falling, horizontal, vertical, right-falling. Keep the left side wider and the right side narrower; a common mistake is making the final stroke of 斤 too short or dot-like.

新 has 亲 on the left, while 断 (duàn, meaning 'to break') has a left side that looks like a vertical line with a dot (㫃), and 斯 (sī, literary 'this') has the left side 其 (like 其). In meaning, 新 is 'new', 断 is 'break', and 斯 is a classical word for 'this'.

新 means 'new' or 'fresh' and appears in common words like 新年 (xīn nián, New Year), 新闻 (xīn wén, news), and 新鲜 (xīn xiān, fresh). The New Year (新年) is China's most important holiday, and 新 is also frequently used in brand names and slogans to suggest innovation.

Common words containing 新 include: 新年 (xīn nián) — New Year; 新闻 (xīn wén) — news; 新鲜 (xīn xiān) — fresh.