散 meaning and stroke order
To scatter; to break up (a meeting etc); to disperse
How to write 散, stroke by stroke
12 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 散
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to scatter
- to break up (a meeting etc)
- to disperse
- to disseminate
- to dispel
- (coll.) to sack
- scattered
- loose
- to come loose
- to fall apart
- leisurely
- powdered medicine
How 散 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A hand 攵 tossing seeds from a basket.
Radical: 攵 (to rap), shared by 36 characters on this site.
How to remember 散
The right side 攵 is a hand holding a stick, and the etymology hint pictures that hand tossing seeds from a basket so they scatter everywhere. Picture the left side as the basket of seeds and the right side as the hand flinging them apart.
In the fourth tone sàn, 散 is a verb meaning to scatter, disperse, or break up, as in 解散 (jiěsàn) to disband or 散发 (sànfā) to give off. In the third tone sǎn, it is an adjective meaning loose or scattered, as in 散文 (sǎnwén) prose. Example: 我们吃完饭去散步吧。(Wǒmen chī wán fàn qù sànbù ba.) Let's go for a walk after dinner.
Common mistake: Learners often say 散文 as sànwén, but in this word it is sǎnwén with the third tone. Also do not confuse 散 with 撒 (sā, to scatter or sprinkle), which adds a hand radical 扌 on the left.
Common words with 散
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 散步 | sànbù | to take a walk; to go for a walk | HSK 3 |
| 分散 | fēnsàn | to scatter; to disperse | HSK 4 |
| 散文 | sǎnwén | (broadly) prose (as opposed to verse); (more narrowly) free-form literary prose, such as e | HSK 5 |
| 解散 | jiěsàn | to dissolve; to disband | HSK 7-9 |
| 疏散 | shūsàn | idle; leisurely; laid-back; Taiwan pr. [shu1san4] | HSK 7-9 |
| 扩散 | kuòsàn | to spread; to proliferate; to diffuse | HSK 7-9 |
| 散发 | sànfā | to distribute; to emit; to give off | HSK 7-9 |
| 散布 | sànbù | to disseminate | HSK 7-9 |
| 散开 | sànkāi | to separate; to disperse | |
| 散播 | sànbō | to spread; to disperse | |
| 拆散 | chāisàn | to break up (a marriage, family etc) | |
| 散落 | sǎnluò | to lie scattered (over an area); Taiwan pr. [san4 luo4] | |
| 走散 | zǒusàn | to wander off; to stray | |
| 消散 | xiāosàn | to dissipate |
散 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 散
Learning 散 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 散
How many strokes are in 散?
散 is written with 12 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 散 mean?
散 (sàn) means to scatter; to break up (a meeting etc); to disperse. A common word with it is 散步 (sànbù), meaning "to take a walk; to go for a walk".
How do you pronounce 散?
散 is pronounced sàn, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 散?
The radical of 散 is 攵, which carries the idea of "to rap". Dictionaries list 散 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 散?
The traditional form of 散 is 㪚. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 散 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 散 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 散 is part of the HSK 3 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
Why does 散步 mean to take a walk if 散 means to scatter?
Here 散 carries the sense of relaxing or letting go, so 散步 is a leisurely, unhurried walk. It is not about scattering anything.
How do I say a meeting or class is over using 散?
You can say 散会 (sànhuì), meaning the meeting is over, or 散了 (sàn le) to mean people have broken up and left. For example, 电影散场了 (diànyǐng sànchǎng le) means the movie has let out.