劍 meaning and stroke order
Sword, dagger, saber
How to write 劍, stroke by stroke
15 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 劍
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- double-edged sword
- classifier for blows of a sword
How 劍 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Knife.
刂 gives the meaning and 僉 hints at the sound.
Radical: 刂 (knife), shared by 71 characters on this site.
How to remember 劍
劍 is pictophonetic: 僉 (qiān) on the left hints at the sound, and the knife radical 刂 on the right shows the meaning. Picture a blade 刂 standing beside it to remember that this is a weapon with a sharp edge.
劍 (jiàn) usually means a double-edged sword, as opposed to 刀 (dāo), a single-edged blade. It appears in words like 宝剑 (bǎojiàn) and in sports as 击剑 (jījiàn), fencing. Example: 他从小学习剑术。(Tā cóng xiǎo xuéxí jiànshù.) He has studied swordsmanship since childhood.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 劍 (jiàn) with 險 (xiǎn) or 檢 (jiǎn), which share the 僉 part but have different left or right components. Also keep the fourth tone: jiàn, not jiǎn.
Common words with 劍
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 刻舟求劍 | kèzhōu-qiújiàn | lit. a notch on the side of a boat to locate a sword dropped overboard (idiom); fig. an ac | HSK 7-9 |
| 寶劍 | bǎojiàn | (double-edged) sword (esp. a valuable or famous one) | |
| 劍術 | jiànshù | swordsmanship | |
| 刀劍 | dāojiàn | sword | |
| 劍法 | jiànfǎ | fencing; sword-play | |
| 劍客 | jiànkè | swordsman | |
| 擊劍 | jījiàn | fencing (sport) | |
| 短劍 | duǎnjiàn | dagger |
Questions about 劍
How many strokes are in 劍?
劍 is written with 15 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 劍 mean?
劍 (jiàn) means sword, dagger, saber. A common word with it is 刻舟求剑 (kèzhōu-qiújiàn), meaning "lit. a notch on the side of a boat to locate a sword dropped overboard (idiom); fig. an ac".
How do you pronounce 劍?
劍 is pronounced jiàn, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 劍?
The radical of 劍 is 刂, which carries the idea of "knife". Dictionaries list 劍 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 劍?
劍 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 剑, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the difference between 劍 and 刀?
劍 (jiàn) is a straight, double-edged sword. 刀 (dāo) is a single-edged blade such as a knife or saber. Together, 刀剑 (dāojiàn) refers to swords and blades in general.
What does the idiom 刻舟求剑 mean?
刻舟求剑 (kèzhōu-qiújiàn) tells of a man who dropped his sword from a boat and marked the boat's side to find it later. It describes someone who acts rigidly and ignores changing circumstances.