惭 meaning and stroke order
Ashamed, humiliated; shameful
How to write 惭, stroke by stroke
11 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 惭
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- ashamed
- variant of 慚|惭[can2]
How 惭 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Heart.
忄 gives the meaning and 斩 hints at the sound.
Radical: 忄 (heart), shared by 167 characters on this site.
How to remember 惭
惭 combines the heart radical 忄 with 斩 (zhǎn), which gives the sound. Picture your heart feeling cut when you are ashamed.
惭 rarely stands alone in modern Chinese. It appears mostly in 惭愧 (cánkuì), a common way to say you feel ashamed or embarrassed about falling short. Example: 我很惭愧。(Wǒ hěn cánkuì.) I feel very ashamed.
Common mistake: Learners often read 惭 as zhǎn because of 斩, but the correct pronunciation is cán with a second tone. Also do not confuse it with 渐 (jiàn, gradually), which has the water radical 氵 instead of the heart radical.
Common words with 惭
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 惭愧 | cánkuì | ashamed | HSK 7-9 |
惭 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 惭
How many strokes are in 惭?
惭 is written with 11 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 惭 mean?
惭 (cán) means ashamed, humiliated; shameful. A common word with it is 惭愧 (cánkuì), meaning "ashamed".
How do you pronounce 惭?
惭 is pronounced cán, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 惭?
The radical of 惭 is 忄, which carries the idea of "heart". Dictionaries list 惭 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 惭?
The traditional form of 惭 is 慙 and 慚. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 惭 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 惭 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 惭 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 惭愧 and 丢脸?
惭愧 (cánkuì) is an inner feeling of shame or guilt, often about not doing enough. 丢脸 (diūliǎn) means losing face in front of others and is more about public embarrassment.
Is 惭愧 used humbly in conversation?
Yes. People often say 惭愧 to modestly deflect praise, meaning something like I don't really deserve that. It sounds polite and slightly formal.