<p>The, new, <strong>Outliers</strong> dictionary provides some insight as to how 寫 became 写:</p>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>FORM</strong></p>
<p>写 is shorthand for 寫. The top part, 冖, is a common abbreviation for 宀. The bottom part is a shorthand abbreviation for 舄 (see the diagram below for how that works).</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/K67I5.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/K67I5.jpg" alt="enter image description here" /></a></p>
</blockquote>
<p>which is referenced from:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>邵源、邵冠勇，2010《簡化漢字解說》，济南：齐鲁书社 2010年12月第一版。</p>
</blockquote>
<p>It also continues:</p>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>COMPONENTS</strong></p>
<p>冖</p>
<p>In 写, 冖 is an empty component. It was originally 宀 “building,” a meaning component, hinting at the original meaning “to move something from one location to another.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The simplified version is just simply old shorthand that was in turn made into a Chinese simplified character.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-11-24T02:50:50.263Z
2017-11-24T02:50:50.263Z
2020-06-17T09:50:11.587Z
Mou某
<p>Many hanzi have a roof on top, including a dot.  From the HSK2 list, we have:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>客 家 字 完 室 安 它</p>
</blockquote>

<p>The commonly used hanzi 写 is unlike these because it does not have a dot on top.</p>

<p>Chinese-tools.com lists hanzi with the radicals <a href="http://www.chinese-tools.com/tools/sinograms.html?r=%E5%AE%80" rel="nofollow noreferrer">宀</a> and <a href="http://www.chinese-tools.com/tools/sinograms.html?r=%E5%86%96" rel="nofollow noreferrer">冖</a>.  On the list for 冖, the only other one I've seen before with 冖 on top is 农, although I would never had realized.</p>

<p>I'm wondering if there's a reason the hanzi 写, in particular, does not have a dot.</p>

<p><strong>Question</strong>: Why does 写 not have a dot on top?</p>

<p>(Another exception I can think of is 买, which has the radical 乛 on top, but it has a counterpart 实 with a roof.)</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-11-24T00:38:38.840Z
because they're just two different redicals... 宀 is called 宝盖 and 冖 is called 秃宝盖 (bald 宝盖)
Jason Swift
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-11-24T01:02:54.217Z
写：部首：秃宝盖部，others with 冖 in standard dictionaries (not so many, more than half seem to have low usage frequency) ：冗、军、罕、 冠、冢、冥、冤、幂
user6065
<etymology><radicals><characters><glyph-origin>
Why does 写 not have a dot on top?
# Why does 写 not have a dot on top?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-11-24)

Many hanzi have a roof on top, including a dot. From the HSK2 list, we have:

> 客 家 字 完 室 安 它

The commonly used hanzi 写 is unlike these because it does not have a dot on top.

Chinese-tools.com lists hanzi with the radicals [宀](http://www.chinese-tools.com/tools/sinograms.html?r=%E5%AE%80) and [冖](http://www.chinese-tools.com/tools/sinograms.html?r=%E5%86%96). On the list for 冖, the only other one I've seen before with 冖 on top is 农, although I would never had realized.

I'm wondering if there's a reason the hanzi 写, in particular, does not have a dot.

**Question**: Why does 写 not have a dot on top?

(Another exception I can think of is 买, which has the radical 乛 on top, but it has a counterpart 实 with a roof.)

**Tags:** etymology, radicals, characters, glyph-origin

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: because they're just two different redicals... 宀 is called 宝盖 and 冖 is called 秃宝盖 (bald 宝盖)  
> **username_2**: 写：部首：秃宝盖部，others with 冖 in standard dictionaries (not so many, more than half seem to have low usage frequency) ：冗、军、罕、 冠、冢、冥、冤、幂  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2017-11-24. Score: 5 | Accepted answer

The, new, **Outliers** dictionary provides some insight as to how 寫 became 写:

> **FORM**
>
> 写 is shorthand for 寫. The top part, 冖, is a common abbreviation for 宀. The bottom part is a shorthand abbreviation for 舄 (see the diagram below for how that works).
>
> [![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/K67I5.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/K67I5.jpg)

which is referenced from:

> 邵源、邵冠勇，2010《簡化漢字解說》，济南：齐鲁书社 2010年12月第一版。

It also continues:

> **COMPONENTS**
>
> 冖
>
> In 写, 冖 is an empty component. It was originally 宀 “building,” a meaning component, hinting at the original meaning “to move something from one location to another.”

The simplified version is just simply old shorthand that was in turn made into a Chinese simplified character.


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