寒 meaning and stroke order
Chilly, cold; poor; to shiver, to tremble
How to write 寒, 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 寒
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- cold
- poor
- to tremble
How 寒 is built
Components of the character.
Radical: 宀 (roof), shared by 67 characters on this site.
How to remember 寒
寒 (hán) starts with the roof radical 宀 on top, and the strokes below can be pictured as someone huddled under that roof with the two dots at the bottom as bits of ice. Even indoors under a roof, it is still freezing cold.
寒 is mostly used in compound words rather than alone, especially for cold weather and seasons, as in 寒冷 (hánlěng) and 寒冬 (hándōng). It also carries the sense of poor or humble, as in 寒舍 (hánshè) my humble home. Example: 我们下个月放寒假。 (Wǒmen xià gè yuè fàng hánjià.) We start winter vacation next month.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 寒 with 塞 (sāi, to stuff), which has the same top but ends in 土 instead of two dots. Also, in everyday speech people say 冷 (lěng) for cold, so saying 今天很寒 sounds odd. Use 今天很冷 instead.
Common words with 寒
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
寒 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 寒
How many strokes are in 寒?
寒 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 寒 mean?
寒 (hán) means chilly, cold; poor; to shiver, to tremble. A common word with it is 寒冷 (hánlěng), meaning "cold (climate); frigid".
How do you pronounce 寒?
寒 is pronounced hán, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 寒?
The radical of 寒 is 宀, which carries the idea of "roof". Dictionaries list 寒 under this radical.
Is 寒 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 寒 is part of the HSK 4 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 寒 and 冷?
冷 (lěng) is the everyday word for cold and can stand alone, as in 我很冷. 寒 (hán) is more formal or literary and usually appears inside words like 寒冷, 寒风, and 严寒.
Why does 寒舍 mean my humble home?
寒 can mean poor, so 寒舍 (hánshè) literally means a poor house. It is a polite, modest way to refer to your own home when inviting guests, and you would not use it for someone else's home.