敏 meaning and stroke order
Fast, quick; clever, smart
How to write 敏, 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 敏
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (bound form) quick; nimble; agile
- (bound form) quick-witted; smart
How 敏 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Strike.
攵 gives the meaning and 每 hints at the sound.
Radical: 攵 (to rap), shared by 36 characters on this site.
How to remember 敏
敏 is made of 每 (měi, every), which gives the sound, and 攵, a hand with a stick meaning strike. Picture someone reacting fast to every tap of the stick, always quick and alert.
敏 is a bound form, so it almost always appears inside words like 敏感 (mǐngǎn, sensitive), 过敏 (guòmǐn, allergic) and 敏捷 (mǐnjié, nimble). Example: 我对花生过敏。(Wǒ duì huāshēng guòmǐn.) I am allergic to peanuts.
Common mistake: Learners often write the left side as 母 or forget the top strokes of 每, which is 𠂉 over 母. Also remember it is third tone mǐn, not second tone mín like 民.
Common words with 敏
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
敏 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 敏
Learning 敏 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 敏
How many strokes are in 敏?
敏 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 敏 mean?
敏 (mǐn) means fast, quick; clever, smart. A common word with it is 敏感 (mǐngǎn), meaning "sensitive; susceptible".
How do you pronounce 敏?
敏 is pronounced mǐn, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 敏?
The radical of 敏 is 攵, which carries the idea of "to rap". Dictionaries list 敏 under this radical.
Is 敏 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 敏 is part of the HSK 5 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Can I use 敏 by itself to say someone is quick?
Not usually. In modern Chinese 敏 needs a partner, so say 他很敏捷 (tā hěn mǐnjié) or 他反应很灵敏 (fǎnyìng hěn língmǐn) instead of 他很敏.
What is the difference between 敏感 and 过敏?
敏感 means sensitive in general, such as a sensitive topic or a sensitive person. 过敏 is mainly medical, meaning allergic, though it can also describe someone who overreacts.