挽 meaning and stroke order
To pull; to draw (a cart or a bow); to roll up
How to write 挽, 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 挽
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to pull
- to draw (a cart or a bow)
- to roll up
- to coil
- to carry on the arm
- to lament the dead
How 挽 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Hand.
扌 gives the meaning and 免 hints at the sound.
Radical: 扌 (hand), shared by 342 characters on this site.
How to remember 挽
挽 is pictophonetic: the hand radical 扌 gives the meaning, and 免 (miǎn) hints at the sound. Picture a hand reaching out to pull someone back before they escape, which is what 免 can suggest.
挽 mostly appears in set words about pulling something back from loss, like 挽救 (wǎnjiù, to save), 挽回 (wǎnhuí, to retrieve) and 挽留 (wǎnliú, to urge someone to stay). It also means to roll up or to link arms. Example: 他们想挽留她。(Tāmen xiǎng wǎnliú tā.) They wanted to persuade her to stay.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 挽 with 晚 (wǎn, late) because they sound the same and share 免. Remember that 挽 has the hand 扌 because it is an action you do with your hands, while 晚 has 日 for time.
Common words with 挽
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
挽 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 挽
How many strokes are in 挽?
挽 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 挽 mean?
挽 (wǎn) means to pull; to draw (a cart or a bow); to roll up. A common word with it is 挽救 (wǎnjiù), meaning "to save; to remedy".
How do you pronounce 挽?
挽 is pronounced wǎn, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 挽?
The radical of 挽 is 扌, which carries the idea of "hand". Dictionaries list 挽 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 挽?
The traditional form of 挽 is 輓. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 挽 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 挽 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 挽 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What does 挽 mean in 挽起袖子?
Here 挽 means to roll up. 挽起袖子 (wǎnqǐ xiùzi) means to roll up your sleeves, often a sign of getting ready to work.
How is 挽 connected to mourning?
挽 can mean to lament the dead, as in 挽联 (wǎnlián), mourning couplets hung at funerals. This sense comes from the old custom of pulling the hearse, written 輓 in traditional form.