悯 meaning and stroke order
To pity, to sympathize with; to grieve for
How to write 悯, stroke by stroke
10 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 悯
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to sympathize; to pity; to feel compassion for
- (literary) to feel sorrow; to be grieved
How 悯 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Heart.
忄 gives the meaning and 闵 hints at the sound.
Radical: 忄 (heart), shared by 167 characters on this site.
How to remember 悯
The heart radical 忄 on the left shows this is a feeling. The right side 闵 (mǐn) gives the sound, so think of a heart that aches with pity, read mǐn.
悯 is rarely used alone in modern speech. It mostly appears in set words like 怜悯 (liánmǐn) and 悲天悯人 (bēi tiān mǐn rén, to grieve for the world and pity its people). Example: 他对穷人充满怜悯。(Tā duì qióngrén chōngmǎn liánmǐn.) He is full of pity for poor people.
Common mistake: Learners often write the right side as 门 or 问 and forget the 文 inside 门, which makes 闵. Also keep the third tone in mǐn, and do not confuse it with 敏 (mǐn, quick, sensitive), which sounds the same.
Common words with 悯
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 怜悯 | liánmǐn | to take pity on; pity |
悯 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 悯
How many strokes are in 悯?
悯 is written with 10 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 悯 mean?
悯 (mǐn) means to pity, to sympathize with; to grieve for. A common word with it is 怜悯 (liánmǐn), meaning "to take pity on; pity".
How do you pronounce 悯?
悯 is pronounced mǐn, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 悯?
The radical of 悯 is 忄, which carries the idea of "heart". Dictionaries list 悯 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 悯?
The traditional form of 悯 is 憫. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 悯 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the difference between 怜悯 and 同情?
同情 (tóngqíng) is the everyday word for sympathy and is neutral. 怜悯 (liánmǐn) is more formal and can suggest looking down on someone with pity, so it can sound condescending in some contexts.
Can I say 我悯你 to mean I pity you?
No, that sounds wrong in modern Chinese. Use a full word instead, such as 我同情你 (wǒ tóngqíng nǐ) or, more pointedly, 我可怜你 (wǒ kělián nǐ).