摻 meaning and stroke order
To mix, to blend, to adulterate
How to write 摻, stroke by stroke
14 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 摻
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to mix; to blend; to dilute; to adulterate
- to grasp
How 摻 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Hand.
扌 gives the meaning and 參 hints at the sound.
Radical: 扌 (hand), shared by 342 characters on this site.
How to remember 摻
摻 is a hand 扌 plus 參 (cān), which gives the sound. Picture a hand stirring different things together until they are mixed.
In everyday Mandarin this character is usually read chān and means to mix one thing into another, often with a hint of diluting or adulterating. 摻 is the traditional form, and the simplified form is 掺. Example: 别在酒里摻水。(Bié zài jiǔ lǐ chān shuǐ.) Don't mix water into the wine.
Common mistake: Learners often read 摻 as cān or shēn because of its phonetic part 參, but the common reading is chān. Also do not confuse it with 搀 (chān, to support someone by the arm), which sounds the same but means something different.
Common words with 摻
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 摻和 | chānhuo | to mix; to put together; to interfere in; to get involved in |
Questions about 摻
How many strokes are in 摻?
摻 is written with 14 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 摻 mean?
摻 (càn) means to mix, to blend, 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 摻?
摻 is pronounced càn, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 摻?
The radical of 摻 is 扌, which carries the idea of "hand". Dictionaries list 摻 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 摻?
摻 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 掺, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What does 掺和 (chānhuo) mean in casual speech?
Besides physically mixing things, 掺和 often means to meddle or get involved in something that is not your business. For example, 这事你别掺和 means stay out of this.
Why does the dictionary list the readings càn and shǎn?
Those are rarer readings. The dictionary data gives shǎn the meaning to grasp, and càn is the reading shown in this entry's header. In modern use you will almost always say chān.