洗
xǐ · HSK 1
wash
🚿 氵(water) + 先 (xiān, first) — water you use first; sounds like 'shee'
The radical 氵 marks anything water-related; 先 (first) carries the sound, drifting from xiān to xǐ. Semantic range stretches from washing dishes to 'develop' film (wash in chemicals) and slang 'sack/clean out' a place.
洗 — water radical 氵 + 先 (xiān)
A semantic-phonetic compound. The water radical 氵 indicates the meaning (washing with water), while 先 supplies the sound, originally close to xiǎn/xǐ. The character has long meant 'to wash' or 'rinse,' and by extension 'to cleanse' or 'wash away.'