How to Write 腥 (xīng) — Meaning “fishy smell”

Imagine a star (星) falling into a piece of raw meat (⺼) and creating a terrible fishy odor. The "star" in the meat helps you recall that 腥 (xīng) means a strong, unpleasant smell like fish or blood.

Pay attention to the left radical ⺼ — it should be written with a narrow shape and the third stroke (horizontal) should not extend past the first two strokes. The right part 星 has a "日" on top (not too wide) and a "生" below; ensure the bottom horizontal stroke of 星 is slightly longer than the top ones to balance the character.

While 腥 shares the meat radical (⺼) with 脚 (foot) and 脱 (to remove), 腥 specifically focuses on smell (fishy/gory), whereas 脚 relates to body parts and 脱 means taking off or shedding. Visually, 腥 has the 星 component, while 脚 has 却 and 脱 has 兑 — so look for the "star" on the right to identify 腥.

腥 commonly appears in words like 鱼腥味 (fishy smell) and 血腥 (bloody/gory), often describing unpleasant odors from raw fish, seafood, or blood. In Chinese culture, the term 腥 is also used metaphorically to describe scenes of violence or slaughter, such as in news reports about tragic events.

Common words containing 腥 include: 鱼腥味 (yú xīng wèi) — Fishy smell; 腥味 (xīng wèi) — fishy odor; 血腥 (xuè xīng) — Bloody / Gory.