善 meaning and stroke order
Good (virtuous); benevolent; well-disposed
How to write 善, stroke by stroke
12 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 善
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- good (virtuous)
- benevolent
- well-disposed
- good at sth
- to improve or perfect
How 善 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. To give someone food 羊 and conversation 口.
Radical: 口 (mouth), shared by 428 characters on this site.
How to remember 善
The top of 善 is a sheep 羊 (yáng) and the bottom is a mouth 口 (kǒu). Picture someone kindly offering you food and friendly conversation, which is what a good, kind person does.
善 rarely stands alone in modern speech and usually appears in words like 善良 (shànliáng, kindhearted), 改善 (gǎishàn, to improve) and 善于 (shànyú, to be good at). Example: 她很善于沟通。(Tā hěn shànyú gōutōng.) She is very good at communicating.
Common mistake: Learners often write the top as a full 羊 with its long vertical stroke running down into the mouth. In 善 the sheep part is squashed, followed by 丷 and a horizontal stroke before 口. Another trap is mixing up 善 with 喜 (xǐ), which also ends in 口 but has 士 on top.
Common words with 善
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 完善 | wánshàn | (of systems, facilities etc) comprehensive; well-developed | HSK 3 |
| 善良 | shànliáng | good and honest; kindhearted | HSK 4 |
| 改善 | gǎishàn | to make better; to improve | HSK 4 |
| 善于 | shànyú | to be good at; to be adept at | HSK 4 |
| 友善 | yǒushàn | friendly | HSK 7-9 |
| 慈善 | císhàn | benevolent; charitable | HSK 7-9 |
| 善意 | shànyì | goodwill; benevolence | HSK 7-9 |
| 妥善 | tuǒshàn | appropriate; proper | HSK 7-9 |
| 多愁善感 | duōchóushàngǎn | (idiom) emotionally sensitive and prone to melancholy | |
| 慈善机构 | císhànjīgòu | charity | |
| 善待 | shàndài | to treat well | |
| 和善 | héshàn | good-natured | |
| 善事 | shànshì | good deeds | |
| 善后 | shànhòu | to deal with the aftermath (arising from an accident); funeral arrangements |
善 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 善
Learning 善 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 善
How many strokes are in 善?
善 is written with 12 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 善 mean?
善 (shàn) means good (virtuous); benevolent; well-disposed. A common word with it is 完善 (wánshàn), meaning "(of systems, facilities etc) comprehensive; well-developed".
How do you pronounce 善?
善 is pronounced shàn, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 善?
The radical of 善 is 口, which carries the idea of "mouth". Dictionaries list 善 under this radical.
Is 善 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 善 is part of the HSK 3 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
What is the difference between 善良 and 友善?
善良 (shànliáng) describes a person's inner character as kind and good-hearted. 友善 (yǒushàn) describes friendly behavior toward others, such as a friendly attitude or friendly relations.
How is 善于 different from 擅长?
Both mean to be good at something. 善于 (shànyú) is usually followed by a verb, as in 善于表达 (good at expressing oneself), while 擅长 (shàncháng) more freely takes nouns too, as in 擅长数学 (good at math).