懸 meaning and stroke order
To hang, to hoist, to suspend; hung
How to write 懸, stroke by stroke
20 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 懸
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to hang or suspend
- to worry
- public announcement
- unresolved
- baseless
- without foundation
How 懸 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. Pride 心 in one's country 縣, expressed by a flag; 縣 also provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 心 (heart), shared by 97 characters on this site.
How to remember 懸
懸 (xuán) is 縣 (county) stacked on top of 心 (heart). Picture the heart's pride in its county shown by a flag hung high, so the character means to hang or suspend, and 縣 also gives the sound.
懸 is the traditional form, and mainland China writes it 悬. It appears mostly in compounds about hanging, suspense, or unresolved matters, such as 悬崖 (xuányá) cliff, 悬念 (xuánniàn) suspense, and 悬案 (xuán'àn) unsolved case. Example: 墙上懸著一幅畫。(Qiáng shàng xuánzhe yì fú huà.) A painting hangs on the wall.
Common mistake: Learners often drop the 心 at the bottom and write only 縣 (xiàn, county). That is a different word with a different sound. Also keep the second tone in xuán and do not confuse it with 旋 (xuán, to spin), which sounds the same.
Common words with 懸
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 懸崖 | xuányá | precipice; overhanging cliff | HSK 7-9 |
| 懸掛 | xuánguà | to suspend; to hang | HSK 7-9 |
| 懸念 | xuánniàn | suspense in a movie, play etc; concern for sb's welfare | HSK 7-9 |
| 懸殊 | xuánshū | vastly different; poles apart | HSK 7-9 |
| 懸賞 | xuánshǎng | to offer a reward; bounty | |
| 懸浮 | xuánfú | to float (in the air etc); suspension | |
| 懸疑 | xuányí | suspense | |
| 懸案 | xuán'àn | unresolved question; unresolved case |
Questions about 懸
How many strokes are in 懸?
懸 is written with 20 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 懸 mean?
懸 (xuán) means to hang, to hoist, to suspend; hung. A common word with it is 悬崖 (xuányá), meaning "precipice; overhanging cliff".
How do you pronounce 懸?
懸 is pronounced xuán, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 懸?
The radical of 懸 is 心, which carries the idea of "heart". Dictionaries list 懸 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 懸?
懸 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 悬, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the difference between 懸 and 掛 for hanging?
掛 (guà) is the everyday verb for hanging something up, like a coat. 懸 sounds more formal or literary and stresses being suspended in the air. The two often join as 懸掛 (xuánguà).
Why does 懸 also mean very different or unresolved?
The idea of something hanging and not settled extends to things left open, as in 悬案 (xuán'àn) unresolved case. A big gap between two things is also described with it, as in 悬殊 (xuánshū) vastly different.