杀 Stroke Order — How to Write 杀
杀 is written in 6 strokes, following the standard Chinese stroke order. Start from the radical 木, then complete the remaining strokes.
Stroke order matters in Chinese: it keeps the character balanced, and it is how dictionaries and handwriting input methods expect a character to be written.
杀 Radical and Character Components
杀 is an ideographic compound. To kill 乂 someone and bury them in a coffin 木.
Radical: 木 + 2 more strokes
杀 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- shā
Meanings of 杀 in Chinese
1
shā杀
To cause a person or animal to lose life; to kill.
在一些宗教信仰中，杀生是被严格禁止的。
In some religious beliefs, taking lives (killing living beings) is strictly forbidden.
To fight, to struggle; to break through difficulties or a siege.
在激烈的比赛中，我们队最终杀出重围，赢得了胜利。
In the fierce competition, our team finally fought their way out of the encirclement and won the victory.
To diminish, spoil, or ruin (e.g., a pleasant atmosphere or scenery).
他说的笑话有点杀气氛。
His joke somewhat spoiled the atmosphere.
To sting or irritate a body part, causing a burning sensation or pain, often due to a chemical or irritant.
辣椒油杀了嘴巴。
The chili oil stung my mouth.
To reduce, cut short, or conclude, often used in contexts like bargaining down a price (杀价) or finishing the last part of a task (杀尾).
这种商品，如果你会杀价，价格会便宜很多。
For this type of product, if you're good at bargaining, the price will be much cheaper.
To apply a brake; to stop by tightening or clamping down (e.g., in "杀车" meaning to brake).
他猛踩杀车，才避免了一场事故。
He slammed on the brakes, thus avoiding an accident.
Used after a verb to express an extreme degree or intensity, similar to 'to death' or 'extremely'.
今天加班累杀我了。
Today's overtime work has completely exhausted me.
Common Words and Phrases with 杀
1
battlefield; execution ground
在遥远的过去，一些城镇的杀场常常被设立在人迹罕至的郊外。
In the distant past, execution grounds in some towns were often set up in remote suburbs.
2
3
Kill enemies bravely and achieve military merits.
年轻的战士们立誓要杀敌致果，为保护村庄贡献自己的力量。
The young warriors vowed to bravely fight and defeat enemies, contributing their strength to protect the village.
4
Killing, fighting, and severe punishment; also, the quality of being resolute and decisive.
在关键时刻，他展现出杀伐果断的领导力，迅速解决了团队的困境。
At a critical moment, he demonstrated decisive leadership, quickly resolving the team's predicament.
5
To spoil the fun, a pleasant atmosphere, or a beautiful scene.
他们正在愉快地聊天，你突然提起不开心的事情，真是有点杀风景。
They were chatting happily, and you suddenly brought up something unpleasant, which really spoiled the atmosphere.
6
To kill or murder; to cause someone's death.
警方正在调查这起杀害案件，寻找线索。
The police are investigating this murder case, looking for clues.
7
to wheel around and hit back; a surprise counterattack
他们以为我们放弃了，没想到我们会在最后一刻杀回马枪，成功签下了合同。
They thought we had given up, but unexpectedly, we made a surprise comeback at the last moment and successfully signed the contract.
8
killing intent
看到仇人后，他眼中闪过一丝不易察觉的杀机。
After seeing his enemy, a subtle murderous intent flashed in his eyes.
9
To punish an individual as a warning to others.
为了让新来的员工们知道公司纪律的重要性，经理决定对迟到的王明杀鸡骇猴
To make the new employees understand the importance of company discipline, the manager decided to make an example of Wang Ming, who was late.
10
To kill the hen to get the eggs; to sacrifice long-term benefits for immediate gain.
如果企业为了短期的业绩，过度压榨员工，那无异于杀鸡取卵，最终会失去人才和竞争力。
If an enterprise, for the sake of short-term performance, excessively exploits its employees, that is tantamount to killing the hen for its eggs, and it will ultimately lose talent and competitiveness.
11
To bargain or negotiate for a lower price, especially when buying something.
在跳蚤市场买东西时，她总是喜欢和店主杀价，希望能买到更便宜的商品。
When buying things at the flea market, she always likes to bargain with the shopkeeper, hoping to buy cheaper goods.
12
To kill germs; to disinfect or sterilize.
这种洗手液具有高效的杀菌作用，能有效预防疾病传播。
This hand sanitizer has a highly effective bactericidal effect and can effectively prevent the spread of diseases.
13
A substance used to kill bacteria or fungi.
农民使用杀菌剂来保护农作物免受病害。
Farmers use fungicides to protect their crops from diseases.
14
15
to kill and rob; to massacre and plunder
盗匪经常在偏远地区进行杀掠，给当地居民带来了深重的灾难。
Bandits often carried out slaughter and plunder in remote areas, bringing great disaster to local residents.
16
murderous aura or killing intent; an air of menace or hostility
那位拳击手上场时，周身散发着一股令人窒息的杀气
When the boxer entered the ring, he exuded a suffocating aura of menace.
More words with 杀
- bǔ捕shā杀To catch and kill (animals).
- chóu仇shā杀Kill in revenge; vendetta killing.
- cì刺shā杀assassinate, assassination
- è扼shā杀strangle, stifle
- kòu扣shā杀spike, smash
- qiāng枪shā杀To shoot dead.
- sī厮shā杀battle, fight fiercely
- sù肃shā杀bleak, harsh
- tā他shā杀homicide
- tú屠shā杀massacre
- yǎn掩shā杀Pursue and slaughter, Mow down the enemy
- yòu诱shā杀To lure out and kill.
- zǎi宰shā杀slaughter, butcher
- móu谋shā杀murder
- nuè虐shā杀torture killing, atrocious murder
- xiōng凶shā杀murder or homicide
- zhū诛shā杀to kill
- gé格shā杀fight and kill
- ōu殴shā杀to beat or smite someone to death
- pī劈shā杀Hack to death, Smash
Idioms with 杀
- shā杀jī鸡chě扯bó脖extremely anxious and agitated
- shā杀jī鸡jǐng儆hóu猴punish one to warn others
- shā杀jī鸡mǒ抹bó脖to be at one's wit's end
- shā杀jī鸡qǔ取dàn蛋sacrifice long-term benefits for short-term gains
- shā杀jī鸡xià吓hóu猴punish one to warn others
- shā杀qī妻qiú求jiàng将ruthlessly sacrifice everything for ambition
- shā杀qì气téng腾téng腾full of murderous intent
- shā杀rén人fàng放huǒ火commit murder and arson
- shā杀rén人miè灭kǒu口murder to silence a witness
- shā杀rén人rú如cǎo草slaughter people like grass
- shā杀rén人rú如má麻slaughter countless people
- shā杀rén人yíng盈yě野countless dead bodies fill the fields
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Open the tool →Questions about 杀
What does 杀 mean in Chinese?
杀 (shā) means “To fight, to struggle” in Chinese.
How do you pronounce 杀?
杀 is pronounced shā in Mandarin Chinese.
How many strokes does 杀 have?
杀 has 6 strokes.
How do you write 杀?
杀 is written in 6 strokes, starting from the radical 木. See the animated stroke order on this page.
What is the radical of 杀?
The radical of 杀 is 木, and 杀 is an ideographic compound.
