Chinese character for heart: 心 (xīn)
The Chinese character for heart is 心 (xīn). It means the heart as an organ and also the mind and feelings, as in 开心 (kāixīn, happy) and 小心 (xiǎoxīn, careful). In Chinese thought the heart is where both thinking and feeling happen.
How 心 is built
心 is a pictograph of a heart: the curved stroke is the shape of the organ and the dots are often explained as its chambers or blood. When it is used as a part of other characters it can appear as 心 at the bottom (as in 忠, 爱's traditional form 愛, 忍) or as 忄 on the left (as in 情, 快). It has four strokes and is identical in both scripts.
心 xīn · heart
心 is not built from smaller parts; it is written with 4 strokes.
Origin hint: A heart (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
How 心 is used
Other ways to say heart
- 心灵 xīnlíng — heart and soul, the inner self
Before you use it as a tattoo or design: 心 is identical in both scripts and very recognizable; the dot positions matter, so use a proper calligraphy reference.
Questions
What is the Chinese character for heart?
心 (xīn) means “heart”.
How do you pronounce 心?
心 is pronounced xīn.