剷 meaning and stroke order
To raze, to pare, to level off
How to write 剷, stroke by stroke
13 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 剷
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to scrape the ground with a spade (to make it level or to remove weeds); to shovel
How 剷 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Knife.
刂 gives the meaning and 産 hints at the sound.
Radical: 刂 (knife), shared by 71 characters on this site.
How to remember 剷
剷 combines 産 (chǎn), which gives the sound, with 刂, the knife radical, which gives the meaning. Picture a blade scraping the ground flat, and 産 tells you it is read chǎn.
剷 is a traditional variant form of the verb meaning to shovel or scrape something away. Today it appears mostly in the word 铲除 (chǎnchú), to root out or eradicate, and in mainland simplified text it is written 铲. Example: 铲除杂草 (chǎnchú zácǎo) to clear away the weeds.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes read the 産 part on its own and confuse 剷 with 產 (chǎn, to produce). The knife 刂 on the right is what changes the meaning to scraping or shoveling. Also keep the third tone in chǎn and do not say chán.
Common words with 剷
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 剷除 | chǎnchú | to root out; to eradicate; to sweep away; to abolish |
Questions about 剷
How many strokes are in 剷?
剷 is written with 13 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 剷 mean?
剷 (chǎn) means to raze, to pare, to level off. A common word with it is 铲除 (chǎnchú), meaning "to root out; to eradicate; to sweep away; to abolish".
How do you pronounce 剷?
剷 is pronounced chǎn, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 剷?
The radical of 剷 is 刂, which carries the idea of "knife". Dictionaries list 剷 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 剷?
剷 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 铲, used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 剷 the same as 铲?
Yes, they write the same word chǎn, meaning to shovel or scrape. 铲 uses the metal radical 钅 and is the standard simplified form. 剷 is an older variant built with the knife radical 刂.
Can 铲除 be used figuratively?
Yes. Besides clearing weeds, 铲除 often means to eradicate something abstract, such as corruption or bad habits. For example, 铲除腐败 (chǎnchú fǔbài) means to root out corruption.