How to Write 移 (yí) — Meaning “to move; to shift”

Imagine you have many (多) bundles of grain (禾) that you need to carry to a new location. Picture yourself "moving" them one by one, and the character shows the grain and the idea of many together. This visual story ties the components directly to the meaning of "to move."

Write the left radical 禾 first with a narrow width, then the right part 多 with two stacked 夕 components. Make sure the lower 夕 is slightly wider than the upper one to maintain balance. A common mistake is writing the two 夕 parts too similar in size, so keep the bottom one a bit bigger.

While 移, 秋, and 种 all share the 禾 radical on the left, their right sides differ: 移 has 多 (many), 秋 has 火 (fire), and 种 has 中 (middle). Their meanings are unrelated: 移 means "to move," 秋 means "autumn," and 种 means "seed" or "to plant." Visually, remember that only 移 has the stacked 夕 shapes on the right.

移 is very common in words like 移动 (yí dòng, to move or mobile), 移民 (yí mín, immigrant or to immigrate), and 移开 (yí kāi, to move aside). In China, 移动支付 (mobile payment) is widely used in daily life. The character is also used in formal contexts like 转移 (transfer) and 移植 (transplant).

Common words containing 移 include: 移动 (yí dòng) — to move; mobile; 移开 (yí kāi) — to move aside; to move away; 移民 (yí mín) — immigrant; to immigrate.