棺 meaning and stroke order
Coffin
How to write 棺, 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 棺
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- coffin
How 棺 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Wood.
木 gives the meaning and 官 hints at the sound.
Radical: 木 (tree), shared by 388 characters on this site.
How to remember 棺
A coffin is made of wood 木 (mù), and the right side 官 (guān, official) gives the sound. Picture an official 官 resting in a wooden box 木.
棺 rarely stands alone in speech. People usually say 棺材 (guāncai) in everyday talk, while 棺木 (guānmù) sounds more formal or written. Example: 他们把棺材抬进了村子。(Tāmen bǎ guāncai tái jìn le cūnzi.) They carried the coffin into the village.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes confuse 棺 with 馆 (guǎn, hall, as in 图书馆). Both use 官 for sound, but 棺 has the wood radical 木 and a first tone, while 馆 has the food radical 饣 and a third tone.
Common words with 棺
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 棺材 | guāncai | coffin | HSK 7-9 |
| 棺木 | guānmù | coffin | |
| 石棺 | shíguān | sarcophagus |
棺 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 棺
How many strokes are in 棺?
棺 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 棺 mean?
棺 (guān) means coffin. A common word with it is 棺材 (guāncai), meaning "coffin".
How do you pronounce 棺?
棺 is pronounced guān, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 棺?
The radical of 棺 is 木, which carries the idea of "tree". Dictionaries list 棺 under this radical.
Is 棺 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 棺 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Why is the 材 in 棺材 often pronounced without a tone?
In everyday speech 棺材 is usually said as guāncai, with 材 in the neutral tone. In careful reading you may also hear guāncái.
Is 棺材 a taboo word in Chinese?
It can feel unlucky to mention, so people may avoid it in casual or festive settings. Interestingly, some see 棺材 as a pun on 升官发财 (getting promoted and rich), because 棺 sounds like 官 and 材 sounds like 财.