How to Write 煦 (xù) — Meaning “warm; genial”

Picture the sun (日) shining down on four flames (灬) to create a warm, cozy feeling. You can remember that 煦 means "warm" because the sun and fire together are naturally warming.

The top part 日 should be narrower than the bottom 灬, and the four dots of 灬 must be evenly spaced and slanted slightly to the right. A common mistake is making the 日 too wide or forgetting that the bottom radical has four dots, not three.

煦 (xù) has a sun 日 above four fire dots 灬 and means "warm," while 烹 (pēng) has a different top (亨) and means "to cook." 焉 (yān) is a function word or a final particle and has no sun or fire dots; it looks like a bird-like shape with a flat bottom.

煦 appears in terms like 和煦 (hé xù), describing gentle, warm sunshine or breezes, often in weather forecasts. Another common word is 煦暖 (xù nuǎn), meaning "warm and cozy," used for a comfortably warm room or day.

Common words containing 煦 include: 和煦 (hé xù) — genial; pleasantly warm (of sunshine or breeze); 煦暖 (xù nuǎn) — warm and cozy; 煦煦 (xù xù) — warm and gentle.