丸 meaning and stroke order
Ball; pellet; pill
How to write 丸, stroke by stroke
3 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
Meaning of 丸
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- ball
- pellet
- pill
How 丸 is built
Pictographic character. A fist 九 holding a pebble 丶.
Radical: 丶 (dot), shared by 7 characters on this site.
How to remember 丸
Picture 九 as a curled fist, and the dot 丶 as a small pebble held inside it. A fist holding a pebble gives you 丸 (wán), a little ball or pellet.
丸 (wán) rarely stands alone and usually appears in words for small round things, such as pills and food balls. It is common in 药丸 (yàowán, pill) and 肉丸 (ròuwán, meatball). Example: 我晚饭吃了肉丸。(Wǒ wǎnfàn chī le ròuwán.) I ate meatballs for dinner.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 丸 with 九 (jiǔ, nine) because they look almost the same. Remember that 丸 has the extra dot, which is the pebble. Also do not mix up its second tone wán with 完 (wán, finish), which sounds identical but means something different.
Common words with 丸
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
丸 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 丸
Learning 丸 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 丸
How many strokes are in 丸?
丸 is written with 3 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 丸 mean?
丸 (wán) means ball; pellet; pill. A common word with it is 定心丸 (dìngxīnwán), meaning "tranquilizer; sth that sets one's mind at ease".
How do you pronounce 丸?
丸 is pronounced wán, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 丸?
The radical of 丸 is 丶, which carries the idea of "dot". Dictionaries list 丸 under this radical.
Is 丸 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 丸 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What does 定心丸 mean in everyday conversation?
Literally it is a pill that steadies the heart, but people mostly use it figuratively. It means something that puts your mind at ease, like reassuring news. For example, a promise from your boss can be a 定心丸 for you.
What is the difference between 丸子 and 肉丸?
丸子 (wánzi) is a general word for balls, and in food it often means any kind of meatball or dumpling ball. 肉丸 (ròuwán) specifically says the ball is made of meat. In daily life both are used for meatballs.