宪 meaning and stroke order
Constitution, statute, law
How to write 宪, stroke by stroke
9 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
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- 9
Meaning of 宪
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- statute
- constitution
How 宪 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Roof.
宀 gives the meaning and 先 hints at the sound.
Radical: 宀 (roof), shared by 67 characters on this site.
How to remember 宪
宪 is a roof 宀 over 先 (xiān, first). Picture the first rules made under the roof of a nation's house: the constitution comes first, and 先 also hints at the sound xiàn.
宪 is rarely used alone in modern Chinese and mostly appears in formal words about law and government, above all 宪法 (xiànfǎ). Example: 宪法是国家的根本大法。(Xiànfǎ shì guójiā de gēnběn dàfǎ.) The constitution is the fundamental law of the state.
Common mistake: Learners often read 宪 with the first tone because of its phonetic 先 (xiān), but 宪 is fourth tone, xiàn. Also do not confuse it with 完 (wán), which has 元 under the roof instead of 先.
Common words with 宪
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 宪法 | xiànfǎ | constitution (of a country) | HSK 7-9 |
| 宪兵 | xiànbīng | military police | |
| 宪兵队 | xiànbīngduì | military police corps |
宪 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 宪
How many strokes are in 宪?
宪 is written with 9 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 宪 mean?
宪 (xiàn) means constitution, statute, law. A common word with it is 宪法 (xiànfǎ), meaning "constitution (of a country)".
How do you pronounce 宪?
宪 is pronounced xiàn, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 宪?
The radical of 宪 is 宀, which carries the idea of "roof". Dictionaries list 宪 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 宪?
The traditional form of 宪 is 憲. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 宪 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 宪 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 宪 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 宪法 and 法律?
宪法 (xiànfǎ) is specifically a country's constitution, the highest law. 法律 (fǎlǜ) means law or laws in general, including ordinary statutes.
What other words use 宪 besides 宪法?
You will see 宪兵 (xiànbīng), military police, and 宪兵队 (xiànbīngduì), a military police corps. In political texts you may also meet 违宪 (wéixiàn), unconstitutional, and 修宪 (xiūxiàn), to amend the constitution.