奸 meaning and stroke order
Crafty, dishonest, selfish; evil, villainous; adultery
How to write 奸, stroke by stroke
6 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
Meaning of 奸
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to fornicate
- to defile
- adultery
- rape
- wicked
- crafty
How 奸 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Woman.
女 gives the meaning and 干 hints at the sound.
Radical: 女 (woman), shared by 156 characters on this site.
How to remember 奸
奸 combines 女 (woman) as the meaning part with 干 (gān) as the sound part, which gives the jiān sound. Picture 干 as a sneaky tool held next to 女 to remember that 奸 is about wicked, crafty, or illicit behavior.
Today 奸 mostly appears in compound words about treachery or sexual crimes, such as 奸诈 (jiānzhà, devious), 内奸 (nèijiān, traitor within), and 汉奸 (hànjiān, traitor to China). Example: 他是一个很奸诈的人。(Tā shì yí gè hěn jiānzhà de rén.) He is a very devious person.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 奸 with 好 (hǎo, good), since both start with 女. Remember that 奸 has 干 on the right, while 好 has 子. Also note the tone is first tone jiān, not the fourth tone of 见 (jiàn).
Common words with 奸
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 奸诈 | jiānzhà | treachery; devious | HSK 7-9 |
| 强奸 | qiángjiān | to rape | |
| 强奸犯 | qiángjiānfàn | rapist | |
| 通奸 | tōngjiān | adultery; to commit adultery | |
| 内奸 | nèijiān | undiscovered traitor; enemy within one's own ranks | |
| 鸡奸 | jījiān | sodomy; anal intercourse; buggery | |
| 奸细 | jiānxi | a spy; a crafty person | |
| 汉奸 | hànjiān | traitor (to China) | |
| 轮奸 | lúnjiān | to gang rape | |
| 奸杀 | jiānshā | to rape and murder |
奸 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 奸
How many strokes are in 奸?
奸 is written with 6 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 奸 mean?
奸 (jiān) means crafty, dishonest, selfish; evil, villainous; adultery. A common word with it is 奸诈 (jiānzhà), meaning "treachery; devious".
How do you pronounce 奸?
奸 is pronounced jiān, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 奸?
The radical of 奸 is 女, which carries the idea of "woman". Dictionaries list 奸 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 奸?
The traditional form of 奸 is 姦. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 奸 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 奸 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 奸 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Is 奸 an offensive or sensitive word?
It can be. Words like 强奸 (qiángjiān, rape) and 鸡奸 (jījiān, sodomy) are serious legal or crude terms, and calling someone 汉奸 (hànjiān) is a strong political insult. Use these words with care.
What does 奸细 (jiānxi) mean and how is it used?
奸细 means a spy or a crafty person working secretly for the other side. It often appears in stories, historical dramas, and war films, for example 他是敌人的奸细 (tā shì dírén de jiānxi), he is the enemy's spy.