捍 meaning and stroke order
To defend, to guard; to ward off
How to write 捍, 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 捍
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to ward off (a blow)
- to withstand
- to defend
- variant of 捍[han4]
How 捍 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Hand.
扌 gives the meaning and 旱 hints at the sound.
Radical: 扌 (hand), shared by 342 characters on this site.
How to remember 捍
The hand radical 扌 shows you using your hand to block something, and 旱 (hàn, drought) gives the sound. Picture raising your hand to ward off a blow, and remember it sounds just like 旱.
捍 is rarely used alone in modern Chinese. It appears mostly in formal words like 捍卫 (hànwèi), used for defending rights, honor, a country, or principles. Example: 我们要捍卫自己的权利。(Wǒmen yào hànwèi zìjǐ de quánlì.) We must defend our own rights.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 捍 with 悍 (hàn, fierce, as in 强悍), which has the heart radical 忄 instead of the hand 扌. Both share the phonetic 旱 and the same sound, so check the radical: hand for defending, heart for fierce.
Common words with 捍
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 捍卫 | hànwèi | to defend; to uphold; to safeguard | HSK 7-9 |
捍 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 捍
How many strokes are in 捍?
捍 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 捍 mean?
捍 (hàn) means to defend, to guard; to ward off. A common word with it is 捍卫 (hànwèi), meaning "to defend; to uphold; to safeguard".
How do you pronounce 捍?
捍 is pronounced hàn, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 捍?
The radical of 捍 is 扌, which carries the idea of "hand". Dictionaries list 捍 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 捍?
The traditional form of 捍 is 扞. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 捍 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 捍 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 捍 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 捍卫 and 保卫?
Both mean to defend. 保卫 (bǎowèi) is often used for physically protecting places or people, like 保卫国家. 捍卫 sounds more formal and solemn and is common with abstract things such as rights, dignity, or truth.
Can I use 捍 by itself in a sentence?
In everyday modern Chinese, almost never. It survives in compound words, mainly 捍卫, and in some literary or classical expressions.