俭 meaning and stroke order
Temperate, frugal, economical
How to write 俭, stroke by stroke
9 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
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
Meaning of 俭
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (bound form) frugal; thrifty
How 俭 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Person.
亻 gives the meaning and 佥 hints at the sound.
Radical: 亻 (man), shared by 277 characters on this site.
How to remember 俭
俭 combines the person radical 亻 with 佥 (qiān), which gives the sound. Picture a person who counts every coin carefully, and you have someone frugal.
俭 is a bound form, so it almost always appears inside words like 节俭 (jiéjiǎn) or 勤俭 (qínjiǎn). Example: 他生活很节俭。(Tā shēnghuó hěn jiéjiǎn.) He lives very frugally.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 俭 (jiǎn, frugal) with 检 (jiǎn, to check) and 险 (xiǎn, danger), which share the 佥 part. Remember that only the person radical 亻 means frugal, while 木 in 检 and 阝 in 险 point to other meanings.
Common words with 俭
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
俭 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 俭
How many strokes are in 俭?
俭 is written with 9 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 俭 mean?
俭 (jiǎn) means temperate, frugal, economical. A common word with it is 节俭 (jiéjiǎn), meaning "frugal; economical".
How do you pronounce 俭?
俭 is pronounced jiǎn, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 俭?
The radical of 俭 is 亻, which carries the idea of "man". Dictionaries list 俭 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 俭?
The traditional form of 俭 is 儉. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 俭 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 俭 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 俭 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Can I use 俭 by itself to say someone is frugal?
Usually not. In modern Chinese you say 节俭 (jiéjiǎn) or 勤俭 (qínjiǎn) instead, for example 她很节俭 (tā hěn jiéjiǎn), she is frugal.
What does 勤工俭学 mean in everyday life?
勤工俭学 (qíngōng-jiǎnxué) means working part-time while studying, often to pay for school. It can also refer to a formal work-study program at a university.