染 meaning and stroke order
To dye; to catch (a disease); to acquire (bad habits etc)
How to write 染, stroke by stroke
9 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
Meaning of 染
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to dye
- to catch (a disease)
- to acquire (bad habits etc)
- to contaminate
- to add color washes to a painting
How 染 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. Water 氵 and wine 九 mixed in a wooden 木 bowl.
Radical: 木 (tree), shared by 388 characters on this site.
How to remember 染
Picture water 氵 and wine 九 being mixed in a wooden 木 bowl. Dip cloth into that liquid and it soaks up the color, so 染 (rǎn) means to dye.
染 is used for dyeing things like hair or cloth, and by extension for things that spread and stick to you, such as diseases, bad habits, or pollution. It appears in many common words like 污染 (wūrǎn, pollute) and 传染 (chuánrǎn, contagious). Example: 她把头发染成了红色。(Tā bǎ tóufa rǎn chéng le hóngsè.) She dyed her hair red.
Common mistake: Learners often write the top right part as 丸 (wán) or 九 with an extra dot. The top of 染 is 氵 plus a plain 九, with no dot. Also keep the third tone in rǎn and do not confuse it with 燃 (rán, to burn), which is second tone.
Common words with 染
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 污染 | wūrǎn | (lit. and fig.) to pollute; to contaminate | HSK 5 |
| 感染 | gǎnrǎn | to infect; infection; (fig.) to influence | HSK 7-9 |
| 传染 | chuánrǎn | to infect; contagious | HSK 7-9 |
| 传染病 | chuánrǎnbìng | infectious disease; contagious disease; communicable disease | HSK 7-9 |
| 感染力 | gǎnrǎnlì | infectiousness (of a disease); appeal; power; impact (of an image, marketing message, perf | HSK 7-9 |
| 染上 | rǎnshàng | to catch (a disease); to get (a bad habit) | |
| 有染 | yǒurǎn | to have an affair with sb | |
| 感染者 | gǎnrǎnzhě | infected person | |
| 染色体 | rǎnsètǐ | chromosome | |
| 染色 | rǎnsè | to dye | |
| 传染性 | chuánrǎnxìng | infectious; contagious; infectiousness; transmissibility | |
| 染病 | rǎnbìng | to catch an illness; to get infected with a disease | |
| 染指 | rǎnzhǐ | to dip a finger (idiom); fig. to get one's finger in the pie; to get a share of the action | |
| 污染物 | wūrǎnwù | pollutant |
染 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 染
How many strokes are in 染?
染 is written with 9 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 染 mean?
染 (rǎn) means to dye; to catch (a disease); to acquire (bad habits etc). A common word with it is 污染 (wūrǎn), meaning "(lit. and fig.) to pollute; to contaminate".
How do you pronounce 染?
染 is pronounced rǎn, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 染?
The radical of 染 is 木, which carries the idea of "tree". Dictionaries list 染 under this radical.
Is 染 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 染 is part of the HSK 5 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 感染 and 传染?
传染 (chuánrǎn) focuses on a disease passing from one person to another, as in 传染病 (chuánrǎnbìng, infectious disease). 感染 (gǎnrǎn) focuses on someone getting infected, and can also mean being emotionally moved or influenced by something.
Can 染 be used for catching bad habits?
Yes. 染上 (rǎnshàng) works for both diseases and habits, for example 染上坏习惯 (rǎnshàng huài xíguàn), to pick up a bad habit. It suggests something negative that sticks to you over time.