The Chinese Symbol for Water: 水 (shuǐ)
Hear it, watch the four strokes, then see the three shapes it takes and the characters it builds.
shuǐ water
Stroke order
1. shù gōu
vertical with a hook
2. héng piě
short turn, then a sweep left
3. piě
falling left
4. nà
falling right
Three shapes of the same radical
On its own
the full character
水 · 水果
On the left
three drops of water
河 · 海 · 洗
At the bottom
rare, older shape
泰 · 泉
Do not confuse it with these
✓
水water
four strokes, no dot on top
✗
冰ice
two extra strokes on the left
✗
永forever
a dot sits on top
✗
氷ice (Japanese)
one dot added, Japanese only
Characters built on 氵
Tap any character to hear it. The 氵 on the left points at liquid; the right-hand part often hints at the sound.