殘 meaning and stroke order
To injure, to ruin, to spoil; cruel, oppressive, savage; disabled, incomplete
How to write 殘, 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 殘
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to destroy
- to spoil
- to ruin
- to injure
- cruel
- oppressive
How 殘 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Death.
歹 gives the meaning and 戔 hints at the sound.
Radical: 歹 (corpse), shared by 29 characters on this site.
How to remember 殘
殘 combines 歹 (dǎi), a component linked to death, with 戔 (jiān), which gives the sound. Picture something near death and broken into pieces: damaged, ruined, left incomplete.
殘 is the traditional form, and mainland China writes it as 残. It rarely stands alone and usually appears in words about cruelty, damage, or disability, such as 殘酷 (cánkù) cruel and 殘疾 (cánjí) disabled. Example: 這場戰爭非常殘酷。(Zhè chǎng zhànzhēng fēicháng cánkù.) This war was very cruel.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse the right side 戔 with 錢 (qián) or 淺 (qiǎn), which share it, and then misread the tone. 殘 is second tone cán, not qián. Also do not mix up 殘忍 (cánrěn, cruel by intent) with 殘缺 (cánquē, incomplete or damaged), which describes things, not people.
Common words with 殘
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 殘酷 | cánkù | cruel; harsh; merciless | HSK 6 |
| 殘疾 | cánjí | disabled; handicapped | HSK 6 |
| 殘疾人 | cánjírén | disabled person | HSK 6 |
| 殘忍 | cánrěn | cruel; merciless; ruthless | HSK 7-9 |
| 殘留 | cánliú | to remain; to be left over; residual; remnant | HSK 7-9 |
| 殘缺 | cánquē | badly damaged; shattered | HSK 7-9 |
| 傷殘 | shāngcán | disabled; maimed | HSK 7-9 |
| 殘骸 | cánhái | remains; wreckage | |
| 殘暴 | cánbào | brutal; vicious; ruthless | |
| 殘廢 | cánfèi | deformity; handicapped | |
| 自相殘殺 | zìxiāngcánshā | to massacre one another (idiom); internecine strife | |
| 腦殘 | nǎocán | moronic; brainless | |
| 殘殺 | cánshā | to massacre; to slaughter | |
| 摧殘 | cuīcán | to ravage; to ruin |
Questions about 殘
How many strokes are in 殘?
殘 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 殘 mean?
殘 (cán) means to injure, to ruin, to spoil; cruel, oppressive, savage; disabled, incomplete. A common word with it is 残酷 (cánkù), meaning "cruel; harsh; merciless".
How do you pronounce 殘?
殘 is pronounced cán, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 殘?
The radical of 殘 is 歹, which carries the idea of "corpse". Dictionaries list 殘 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 殘?
殘 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 残, used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 殘疾人 a polite way to say disabled person?
Yes, 殘疾人 (cánjírén) is the standard, neutral term used in official and everyday Chinese. Older words like 殘廢 (cánfèi) are now considered offensive and should be avoided.
What is the difference between 殘酷 and 殘忍?
殘忍 (cánrěn) usually describes a person or act that is deliberately cruel. 殘酷 (cánkù) can also describe harsh situations or realities, as in 殘酷的現實 (cánkù de xiànshí), a harsh reality.