开心
开open心heart=happy
A useful image, but 开心 is a fixed everyday word.
心
心 (xīn) Chinese Character: heart
Three little chambers at the bottom — that's a heart!
Practice 心 in the interactive lessonChinese character story: The Feeling Heart
Look at 心 — those three little dips at the bottom? They're the heart's chambers, drawn thousands of years ago. The ancient Chinese saw the heart as the seat of feeling and thought, not just a pump. Every time you feel something deeply, you are using 心.
🧩 Word buildingSee what every part contributes
Chinese words often combine short meaning clues. Fixed expressions are clearly marked so you do not translate them too literally.
小心
小small or careful心attention=be careful
Do not translate this literally as “small heart.”
Chinese character origin and etymology
心 is documented as a basic character form. Its earlier written forms gradually became the regular-script shape used today.
In modern simplified Chinese, 心 is written with 4 strokes. This lesson separates documented shape history from the memory story so learners do not mistake a mnemonic for a historical claim. 心 works as one complete form rather than a puzzle made from smaller modern components. Learning its overall silhouette is useful because the same shape may later appear inside more complex characters.
Chinese character stroke order and structure
心 is written with 4 strokes. Learn the complete stroke sequence in the interactive lesson, then write the character from memory before checking your answer.
- 心 — heart — the seat of feeling
Common usage and sentence patterns
The examples below show 心 in complete beginner-friendly sentences. Read each sentence aloud, notice where the character appears, and then replace one noun or number to create a new sentence of your own.
我很开心。
I am very happy.
小心！
Be careful!
他的心情很好。
He is in a good mood.
Learning tips for 心
Learn the reading as one unit: xīn, with the first tone: high and level. Avoid memorizing the letters without the tone mark. Say the syllable, recall the English meaning “heart,” and write the 4 strokes from memory.
Because 心 is a basic form, focus on its proportions and stroke direction. Compare it with 想 (xiǎng, think — appearance (相) + heart (心)); 思 (sī, ponder — field (田) + heart (心)); 怕 (pà, fear — heart (忄) + white (白)). Similar characters are easier to remember when their different parts and meanings are studied side by side.
Quick review checklist
- Can you recognize 心 without pinyin?
- Can you say xīn with the correct tone and explain “heart”?
- Can you write all 4 strokes in order?
- Can you use 心 in one short sentence?
Related characters
Continue learning Chinese characters
Use the Chinese radicals and components guide to understand reusable parts, the stroke order guide to improve handwriting, and the HSK 1 character overview to choose your next beginner lesson.
Sources and editorial note
HanziStory separates documented character history from modern memory stories. Historical-form images are shown only when a matching source file is available; missing stages are skipped rather than invented. Stroke practice uses HanziWriter data.
Last updated: August 12, 2026. Read our sources, editorial method, and correction policy.