尖 meaning and stroke order
Pointed; tapering; sharp; (of a sound) shrill; piercing; (of one's hearing, sight etc) sharp; acute; keen
How to write 尖, 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 尖
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- pointed; tapering; sharp
- (of a sound) shrill; piercing
- (of one's hearing, sight etc) sharp; acute; keen
- to make (one's voice) shrill
- sharp point; tip
- the best of sth; the cream of the crop
How 尖 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A point, small 小 over big 大.
Radical: 小 (small), shared by 10 characters on this site.
How to remember 尖
尖 (jiān) puts small 小 on top of big 大. Something wide at the bottom and narrow at the top tapers to a point, like a pencil tip or a mountain peak.
尖 describes pointed objects, shrill sounds, and sharp senses, and it also works as a noun meaning tip, as in 指尖 (zhǐjiān) fingertip and 脚尖 (jiǎojiān) tiptoe. In words like 顶尖 (dǐngjiān) it means the very best. Example: 这把刀很尖。(Zhè bǎ dāo hěn jiān.) This knife is very pointed.
Common mistake: Learners often use 尖 for a knife that cuts well, but a sharp cutting edge is 快 (kuài) or 锋利 (fēnglì), while 尖 means a sharp point. Also do not confuse it with 奖 (jiǎng), which has a different shape and a third tone.
Common words with 尖
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 顶尖 | dǐngjiān | peak; apex | HSK 7-9 |
| 尖锐 | jiānruì | sharp; intense | HSK 7-9 |
| 尖端 | jiānduān | sharp pointed end; the tip | HSK 7-9 |
| 尖叫 | jiānjiào | to screech; to shriek | |
| 指尖 | zhǐjiān | fingertip | |
| 尖牙 | jiānyá | canine tooth; fang; tusk | |
| 脚尖 | jiǎojiān | the extremity of the foot | |
| 尖塔 | jiāntǎ | spire; minaret | |
| 尖尖 | jiānjiān | sharp; pointed | |
| 方尖碑 | fāngjiānbēi | obelisk |
尖 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 尖
How many strokes are in 尖?
尖 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 尖 mean?
尖 (jiān) means pointed; tapering; sharp; (of a sound) shrill; piercing; (of one's hearing, sight etc) sharp; acute; keen. A common word with it is 顶尖 (dǐngjiān), meaning "peak; apex".
How do you pronounce 尖?
尖 is pronounced jiān, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 尖?
The radical of 尖 is 小, which carries the idea of "small". Dictionaries list 尖 under this radical.
Is 尖 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 尖 is part of the HSK 6 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 2.
Can 尖 describe a person?
Yes. 他耳朵很尖 (tā ěrduo hěn jiān) means he has sharp hearing, and 尖 can also mean shrewd. 尖锐 (jiānruì) used for criticism means pointed or harsh.
What does 尖子 (jiānzi) mean?
尖子 means the best of a group, like a top student. It comes from the sense of 尖 as the tip or the cream of the crop.