嫌 meaning and stroke order
To dislike; suspicion; resentment
How to write 嫌, 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 嫌
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to dislike
- suspicion
- resentment
- enmity
- abbr. for 嫌犯[xian2 fan4], criminal suspect
How 嫌 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Woman.
女 gives the meaning and 兼 hints at the sound.
Radical: 女 (woman), shared by 156 characters on this site.
How to remember 嫌
嫌 is a pictophonetic character: 女 (woman) gives the meaning area and 兼 (jiān) hints at the sound. Picture a woman 女 holding two things at once 兼 and frowning, because she dislikes both and suspects neither is good enough.
In everyday speech 嫌 often means to find something not good enough, usually followed by the thing and the complaint: 他嫌这个房间太小 (tā xián zhège fángjiān tài xiǎo), He thinks this room is too small. In news and legal language it means suspicion, as in 涉嫌 (shèxián) and 嫌疑人 (xiányírén).
Common mistake: Learners confuse 嫌 with 谦 (qiān, modest) and 歉 (qiàn, apology), which share the 兼 part. Check the left side: 女 for dislike, 讠 for modest, and 欠 on the right for apology.
Common words with 嫌
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
嫌 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 嫌
How many strokes are in 嫌?
嫌 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 嫌 mean?
嫌 (xián) means to dislike; suspicion; resentment. A common word with it is 嫌疑 (xiányí), meaning "suspicion; to have suspicions".
How do you pronounce 嫌?
嫌 is pronounced xián, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 嫌?
The radical of 嫌 is 女, which carries the idea of "woman". Dictionaries list 嫌 under this radical.
Is 嫌 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 嫌 is part of the HSK 6 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 嫌 and 讨厌?
讨厌 (tǎoyàn) is a general word for disliking or being annoyed by something. 嫌 usually means you object to a specific quality, so it often comes with a reason, as in 嫌贵 (xián guì), to find it too expensive.
How do you say 'to avoid suspicion' in Chinese?
Use 避嫌 (bìxián), to avoid doing something that could look improper. For example, a judge may step aside from a case involving a relative to 避嫌.