How to Write 昕 (xīn) — Meaning “Dawn / Early morning”

Imagine the sun (日) rising at dawn, and the right side 斤 looks like a person standing with arms outstretched to welcome the new day. The sound "xīn" also reminds you of "shiny" dawn, helping you connect the shape to the meaning of bright early morning.

Write the left component 日 first with four strokes: left vertical, top-right corner, middle horizontal, bottom horizontal. Then write 斤 starting with a left‑falling stroke (撇), followed by another left‑falling stroke, a horizontal stroke, and finally a vertical stroke. Keep the 日 narrow and the 斤 slightly wider to keep the balance.

昕 is left‑right structured (日 + 斤) and means "dawn," used in literary or formal contexts. 旨 has 匕 on top and 日 below, meaning "purpose" or "delicious," and is much more common. 早 is top‑bottom (日 on top, 十 below) and means "early" or "morning" in everyday speech.

昕 is a classical character not in the HSK vocabulary, so you mostly see it in formal names, poetry, or literary writing, such as 昕夕 (morning and evening) or 昕旦 (daybreak). It is also a popular character in Chinese given names, often chosen to convey a bright hopeful start like dawn.

Common words containing 昕 include: 昕夕 (xīn xī) — Morning and evening; 昕旦 (xīn dàn) — Dawn / Daybreak; 昕明 (xīn míng) — Bright dawn.