剪 meaning and stroke order
(bound form) scissors or similar tool; to cut as with scissors; (bound form) to wipe out; to exterminate
How to write 剪, stroke by stroke
11 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 剪
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (bound form) scissors or similar tool
- to cut as with scissors
- (bound form) to wipe out; to exterminate
- to edit (video, audio etc)
How 剪 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Knife.
刀 gives the meaning and 前 hints at the sound.
Radical: 刀 (knife), shared by 10 characters on this site.
How to remember 剪
剪 is 前 (qián, front) sitting on top of 刀 (dāo, knife). Picture a blade working at the front edge of paper, and remember that 前 gives the sound while 刀 gives the cutting meaning.
剪 is a verb for cutting with scissors or clippers, and it also appears in words for trimming and editing, like 修剪 (xiūjiǎn) and 剪辑 (jiǎnjí). Example: 我想去剪头发。(Wǒ xiǎng qù jiǎn tóufa.) I want to go get a haircut.
Common mistake: Learners often write only 前 and forget the 刀 underneath, or confuse 剪 with 煎 (jiān, to pan-fry), which has 灬 (fire dots) at the bottom instead of 刀. Also watch the tone: 剪 is third tone jiǎn, while 煎 is first tone jiān.
Common words with 剪
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 剪刀 | jiǎndāo | scissors | HSK 5 |
| 剪子 | jiǎnzi | clippers; scissors | HSK 5 |
| 剪掉 | jiǎndiào | to cut off; to cut away | |
| 剪辑 | jiǎnjí | to edit (raw footage: film, video, audio etc); edited version | |
| 修剪 | xiūjiǎn | to prune; to trim | |
| 剪头发 | jiǎntóufa | (to get a) haircut | |
| 剪断 | jiǎnduàn | to cut; to snip | |
| 剪报 | jiǎnbào | newspaper cutting; clippings | |
| 剪接 | jiǎnjiē | to edit (raw footage: film, video, audio etc); (genetics) to splice |
剪 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 剪
How many strokes are in 剪?
剪 is written with 11 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 剪 mean?
剪 (jiǎn) means (bound form) scissors or similar tool; to cut as with scissors; (bound form) to wipe out; to exterminate. A common word with it is 剪刀 (jiǎndāo), meaning "scissors".
How do you pronounce 剪?
剪 is pronounced jiǎn, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 剪?
The radical of 剪 is 刀, which carries the idea of "knife". Dictionaries list 剪 under this radical.
Is 剪 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 剪 is part of the HSK 5 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 剪 and 切 (qiē)?
剪 means cutting with scissors or clippers, like paper, hair, or cloth. 切 means cutting with a knife, like vegetables or bread.
Is there a difference between 剪刀 and 剪子?
Both mean scissors. 剪刀 is the standard, more common word, while 剪子 sounds more colloquial and is heard often in northern China.