How to write 新 (xīn, “new”)

新 (xīn), an HSK 1 character, means “new”, “newly” and “meso-”. It is a character whose parts combine into its meaning. On its own it is an HSK 1 word; it also forms 新年 (“New Year”), 新闻 (“news”) and 新鲜 (“fresh”). Japanese reads it shin, “new”, as a JLPT N4 kanji.

Pinyin: xīn
Strokes: 13
HSK: 1
Radical: 斤 (“axe”)

Stroke by stroke

As a left-right character it splits into 亲 (“one's own”), strokes 1–9; 斤 (“axe”, the radical), strokes 10–13, written the left part first.

top leftdown and right
top leftrightwards
Dottop lefta dot
topdownwards → down and left
leftrightwards
leftrightwards
leftdownwards → up and left
leftdownwards
centerdown and right
top rightdownwards → down and left
topdownwards
centerrightwards
rightdownwards

Names of the strokes

Japanese and Chinese

The two models differ in shape, so our comparison does not claim an order; compare the numbered frames yourself (13 strokes in Japanese, 13 strokes in Chinese).

Japanese · KanjiVG · 13 strokes

Chinese · Make Me a Hanzi · 13 strokes

Where 新 comes from

A freshly chopped 斤 tree 亲

Trace it

Follow the numbers. Tracing help

Pinyin and meaning

Pinyin	Meanings	Traditional	In words
xīn first tone	new; newly; meso- (chemistry)	—	新年新闻新鲜重新

HSK 2025 syllabus: level 1
2021 standard: level 1
HSK 2.0: in a level 2 word
Words with it: 200 in CC-CEDICT

Words with 新

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
新	xīn	new; newly HSK 1
新年	xīnnián	New Year HSK 3
新闻新聞	xīnwén	news HSK 3
新鲜新鮮	xīnxiān	fresh (experience, food etc); freshness HSK 3
重新	chóngxīn	again; once more HSK 4
新人	xīnrén	newcomer; new recruit HSK 5
全新	quánxīn	all new; completely new HSK 5
更新	gēngxīn	to replace the old with new; to renew HSK 5
新娘	xīnniáng	bride HSK 5
创新創新	chuàngxīn	to bring forth new ideas; to blaze new trails HSK 5

HSK words first (CC-CEDICT).

Practice sheet

Print at 100%. Several characters: worksheet maker.

Keep going

HSK 1, in list order: