掺 meaning and stroke order
To mix; to blend; to dilute; to adulterate
How to write 掺, 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 掺
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to mix; to blend; to dilute; to adulterate
- to grasp
How 掺 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Hand.
扌 gives the meaning and 参 hints at the sound.
Radical: 扌 (hand), shared by 342 characters on this site.
How to remember 掺
The hand radical 扌 shows you are doing something with your hands, and 参 (cān) gives the sound. Picture a hand stirring different things together until they blend.
掺 (chān) means to mix one thing into another, often something cheaper or weaker, so it can suggest diluting or adulterating. It also appears in 掺和 (chānhuo), which can mean to get mixed up in someone else's business. Example: 别掺和我们的事。(Bié chānhuo wǒmen de shì.) Don't get involved in our affairs.
Common mistake: Learners often read 掺 as cān or shēn because of its phonetic part 参, but the everyday reading is chān. Also do not confuse it with 惨 (cǎn, miserable), which has the heart radical 忄 instead of the hand radical 扌.
Common words with 掺
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 掺和 | chānhuo | to mix; to put together; to interfere in; to get involved in |
掺 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 掺
How many strokes are in 掺?
掺 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 掺 mean?
掺 (chān) means to mix; to blend; to dilute; to adulterate. A common word with it is 掺和 (chānhuo), meaning "to mix; to put together; to interfere in; to get involved in".
How do you pronounce 掺?
掺 has more than one reading: chān and càn. The most common is chān, said in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 掺?
The radical of 掺 is 扌, which carries the idea of "hand". Dictionaries list 掺 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 掺?
The traditional form of 掺 is 摻. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 掺 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 掺 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 掺 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 掺 and 混 for mixing?
混 (hùn) is a general word for mixing or blending things together. 掺 (chān) usually means adding one thing into another, often something of lower quality, as in 掺水 (chān shuǐ, to add water or dilute).
Does 掺 have other pronunciations?
Yes. Besides chān, the dictionary lists càn, and shǎn in the sense of to grasp. These are rare, and chān is the reading you will need in modern Chinese.