xīn
heart; mind; intention
Meanings & readings
Meanings & dictionary uses
2 senses · 6 wordsThe physical heart or the center of something. These senses share a character but should be translated according to the whole word.
Feeling, attention, care, and intention. The selected words illustrate distinct functions: a mood, a warning to be careful, concern for someone, and resolve.
Languages & readings
Choose a recorded reading. Explore other varieties through their reference sources below.
Mandarin
Sense-linked readingsReadings & meanings
- xīn — The physical heart or the center of something. These senses share a character but should be translated according to the whole word.
- xīn — Feeling, attention, care, and intention. The selected words illustrate distinct functions: a mood, a warning to be careful, concern for someone, and resolve.
Usage scope
Regional and word-specific qualifications remain attached to the sense and vocabulary records.
Cantonese
Selected character readingSource & reading limitations
Jyutping · Unihan 17.0.0
This property supplies a customary character reading for collation and transliteration. It does not list every reading or identify the reading for each word and sense. It also does not encode a separate regional label for each value.
Other Chinese languages & varieties
Reference guides · character readings not yet imported.
Taiwanese Hokkien 臺灣台語Reference sources only
The Ministry of Education dictionary is the reference for Taiwanese vocabulary and readings. Its Tâi-lô guide distinguishes citation tones from changes in connected speech. Other Hokkien varieties require their own sources.
- Reference variety
- Taiwanese Hokkien, with the regional distinctions recorded by Taiwan's Ministry of Education
- Notation
- Tâi-lô (臺羅), as used by the linked MOE dictionary
Hakka 客語Reference sources only
Taiwan's Ministry of Education documents six Hakka varieties separately. Choose the variety before comparing readings; a single undifferentiated Hakka pronunciation would hide meaningful differences.
- Reference variety
- Taiwan: Sixian, Hailu, Dapu, Raoping, Zhao'an and Southern Sixian
- Notation
- Taiwan Hakka Romanization System (臺灣客語拼音方案)
Teochew 潮州話／潮汕話Reference sources only
Explore CUHK's published Chaozhou lexicon and its separate Shantou sound table. These reference locations remain explicit: readings from one locality should not stand in for every Teochew variety.
- Reference variety
- Chaozhou lexicon; separate Shantou syllable-table resource
- Notation
- Source phonetic transcription; no shared local romanization imported
Wu 吳語・上海話Reference sources only
The linked university resource documents Shanghai. Wu also includes other local varieties; Shanghai readings should retain that location label when compared with Mandarin or Cantonese.
- Reference variety
- Shanghai
- Notation
- Phonetic transcription and tone values in the linked CUHK table
Eastern Min 閩東語・福州話Reference sources only
Fuzhou is an Eastern Min reference variety. Its dedicated CUHK sound table offers a starting point; other Eastern Min localities need distinct records and source attribution.
- Reference variety
- Fuzhou
- Notation
- Phonetic transcription and tone values in the linked CUHK table
Gan 贛語・南昌話Reference sources only
Begin with CUHK's Nanchang sound table. The broader Gan group contains local differences, so future readings should identify Nanchang or another documented locality explicitly.
- Reference variety
- Nanchang
- Notation
- Phonetic transcription and tone values in the linked CUHK table
Xiang 湘語・長沙話Reference sources only
Begin with CUHK's Changsha sound table. Keep Changsha separate from other Xiang localities when adding readings; the group name does not denote one uniform pronunciation.
- Reference variety
- Changsha
- Notation
- Phonetic transcription and tone values in the linked CUHK table
Readings in Japanese, Korean & Vietnamese
Readings recorded for 心 in other language traditions. These are character-level records, not word translations or interchangeable pronunciations.
Japanese 日本語
Grouped by the source’s kana notation; no frequency ranking is implied.
On’yomi · katakana
Kun’yomi · hiragana
Katakana generally indicates on’yomi; hiragana generally indicates kun’yomi. The source does not identify everyday, rare, historical or name use per reading. Kana strings are preserved, including any written endings; consult a Japanese word entry for actual use.
Go deeperJisho ↗Wiktionary ↗
Korean 한국어
Hanja readings · Hangul
Source codes are separated below. They are neither sounds nor tones; a character reading alone does not specify a whole word’s pronunciation.
Go deeperNaver Hanja ↗Wiktionary ↗
Reading sources explained
- 심
- KS X 1001 (0) · Educational Hanja (E)
Vietnamese Tiếng Việt
Character readings · Quốc ngữ
Vietnamese readings associated with this Han character. This field alone does not establish word meanings, current usage, or a complete account of Hán-Nôm reading traditions.
Go deeperHán Việt (Thi Viện) ↗Wiktionary ↗
Form & structure
Structure & components
0 direct parts- Layout
- single
- Index radical
- 心 · 61 · 0 residual strokes
The modern standalone 心 has a curved hook and detached dots. It is treated here as one whole component. 忄 is a common left-side form; the difference is graphical and positional, not a change into a separate everyday word. In 情, the relationship between 心 and 忄 is separate from the historical phonetic role of the other component, 青.
Follow the recorded parts
recorded boundaryA boundary means no finer analysis is published here; it does not assert an indivisible unit. Radical classification and component structure are separate.
Inspect the component network ↗Writing
4 strokesModern stroke order; regional conventions can differ. [47]
Words & connections
Examples
2 sentences她今天心情很好。
She is in a very good mood today.
過馬路要小心。
过马路要小心。
Be careful when crossing the road.
Original editorial sentences. Pinyin uses dictionary tones; connected speech may differ.
Connections
0 phonetic neighboursThis pilot does not link this character to a sound (phonetic) family. Explore the other recorded relationships below.
Follow this component
History & distinctions
Etymology & evidence
2 accountsThe heart in early writing
CUHK interprets the oracle-bone, bronze, and seal forms as representations of the heart, while noting changes in detail. It also discusses earlier misidentifications of some forms as 貝. zimai follows the entry’s identification, without claiming to have independently re-read the original inscriptions.
Thought as an early use
The entry cites an oracle-bone phrase interpreted as the king having an intention to campaign. It also records a borrowed use for a river name. The coexistence of such uses warns against assuming that every ancient occurrence must denote the bodily organ.
Reading this character · explanatory note
心 belongs to both the body and inner life. 心臟 / 心脏 names the physical heart; 心情 describes a mood; 決心 / 决心 expresses determination. English translations therefore change with the word: rendering every 心 as heart can obscure what a sentence actually says. CUHK interprets early forms as depictions of the heart and cites early uses connected with thought or intention. In modern writing, 心 can also appear as the narrower component 忄, as in 情. The visible relationship is useful, while each larger character needs its own account of meaning and sound.
Historical specimens remain at their sources. No dated attestation sequence or licensed specimen image is claimed.
Inspect CUHK’s forms and discussion ↗Forms & distinctions
心 is shared by standard traditional and simplified Chinese. Changes in neighboring characters produce pairs such as 關心 / 关心 and 決心 / 决心. Learn the meaning of each word rather than equating the writing system with a fixed philosophical claim that thought belongs to one organ.
忄 is the common left-side component shape related to 心. It should connect to the component record, while retaining its own visible shape.
必 bì is a separate character with a diagonal stroke through the center. A quick resemblance to 心 does not license deleting or adding that stroke.
Historical readings
- Middle Chinese
- sim · 息林 反切 · #1056
Guangyun-based transcriptions · PHONO-ML · CC BY 4.0. These describe historical reading categories, not modern word pronunciation.
Source row & reading categories
CSV line 8319 · sim = 深開三平侵心
Automatically generated in the source dataset; the authors checked a subset and acknowledge possible errors. All source readings are retained separately. Notation & method ↗
Sources & reference
Sources & research
5 sourcesLocator & rights
形義通解, 略說 and 詳解; character entry · link_only · 2026-10-12
Locator & rights
Release 2026-10-12T08:13:53Z. Exact word-reading locators are retained with each WordRecord. · permitted · 2026-10-12
Locator & rights
Character entry; 形義通解, 繁簡對應, and cited Shuowen discussion where present · link_only · 2026-10-12
Locator & rights
17.0.0 · permitted · 2026-10-12
Locator & rights
bddc96d41bef78427ed0e034e9f7e31d71fd1b92 · permitted · 2026-10-12
Open research · 1 items
- Historical specimen images and their item-level dating have not been licensed or independently checked; follow the source link to inspect its evidence.
Cited claims compared with the consulted entries; no independent expert review recorded.
Readings across dictionaries
- Hanyu Da Zidian
- xīn 42267.010
- Xiandai Hanyu · 1983
- xīn 1278.100
- Tongyong Guifan · 2013
- xīn 406.250
- Reading counts · XDHYPLCD
- xīn(3357) xin(11)
- Mandarin / Cantonese · SMSZD
- xīn粵sam1