洗
to wash
xǐ
What does 洗 mean?
洗 (xǐ) is the basic Chinese verb 'to wash' — to clean something with water (and often soap). It covers the whole washing family: 洗手 (wash hands), 洗脸 (wash face), 洗澡 (take a shower / bath), 洗衣服 (wash clothes), 洗碗 (wash dishes), 洗头 (wash hair). It also extends to 'wash' in the figurative sense: 洗钱 (xǐ qián, 'launder money') and 洗牌 (xǐ pái, 'shuffle cards' — literally 'wash the cards'). The character has a water radical (氵) on the left, marking it as a water-related action. Two notes for English speakers: Chinese says 洗澡 ('wash bath') for the whole act of bathing, and the bathroom itself is 洗手间 ('hand-washing room'), one of the most useful nouns to know when traveling.
Character breakdown
to wash; water radical 氵 + 先 (xiān, first) phonetic
Memory hook: 氵(water) on the left tells you it's a water action — wash.
Example sentences
吃饭以前要洗手。
Chī fàn yǐqián yào xǐ shǒu.
You need to wash your hands before eating.
neutral
我每天晚上洗澡。
Wǒ měi tiān wǎnshang xǐ zǎo.
I take a shower every evening.
spoken
妈妈在洗衣服。
Māma zài xǐ yīfu.
Mom is washing clothes.
neutral
今天该谁洗碗？
Jīntiān gāi shéi xǐ wǎn?
Whose turn is it to wash the dishes today?
spoken
Common phrases with 洗
Synonyms
刷 means 'to brush / scrub' — what you do with a brush, often for teeth (刷牙) or stubborn surfaces. 洗 is the general washing verb; 刷 implies brushing motion.
冲 means 'to rinse / flush with running water.' 冲澡 (take a quick shower) is a casual variant of 洗澡; 冲厕所 ('flush the toilet'). 洗 is more thorough; 冲 is quick rinsing.
Don't confuse 洗 with
先 means 'first / earlier' and is the right-side phonetic component of 洗. They share pronunciation roots but differ by one tone (xiān vs xǐ) and by the water radical. 我先洗手 ('I'll wash my hands first') uses both.
喜 means 'to like / happiness' and is the first character of 喜欢 (xǐhuan, 'to like'). Same pinyin xǐ but completely different meaning and character.