How to Write 泫 (xuàn) — Meaning “To weep / Dripping”

Imagine tears (water, 氵) falling from mysterious, dark eyes (玄, which can mean "dark" or "mysterious"). This visual of "mysterious weeping" links the two parts together and makes the character easy to recall.

The left radical 氵 is written in three strokes: dot, dot, then a rising stroke. The right side 玄 has five strokes: dot, horizontal, a left-falling turn (撇折), then a left-falling stroke (撇), and a dot at the end. Be careful not to make the 撇折 too long—it should be compact so the whole character stays balanced.

泫 uses 玄 on the right and means "to weep" or "dripping." 汊 (chà) uses 叉 (fork) on the right and means a river branch or fork. 㳄 (xián) is a very rare character that means "saliva" and has 欠 (mouth/open mouth) instead of 玄. Visually, 泫 has a straight top on the right, while 汊 has a cross shape and 㳄 has an open mouth shape.

泫 is not part of common HSK vocabulary but appears in literary or formal writing, especially in the word 泫然 (xuàn rán, meaning "tearfully"). It is often used in poetic descriptions of sorrow, for example 泫然泪下 (tears streaming down the face), carrying a strong emotional and classical tone.

Common words containing 泫 include: 泫然 (xuàn rán) — Tearfully; 泫 (xuàn) — To weep / Dripping.