沈 meaning and stroke order
To sink, to submerge; addicted; surname
How to write 沈, stroke by stroke
7 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 沈
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (literary) juice
How 沈 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Water.
氵 gives the meaning and 冘 hints at the sound.
Radical: 氵 (water), shared by 467 characters on this site.
How to remember 沈
The water radical 氵 on the left tells you this is about water, and 冘 on the right gives the sound. Picture something slipping into the water 氵 and going under, which is the idea of sinking.
In modern Chinese, 沈 is best known as a common surname, read Shěn, as in 沈先生 (Shěn xiānsheng, Mr. Shen). The sense "to sink" is usually written 沉 (chén) today, but 沈 appears in place names like 沈阳 (Shěnyáng, Shenyang). Example: 我姓沈。 (Wǒ xìng Shěn.) My surname is Shen.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 沈 and 沉 (chén), which look almost the same. 沉 has 冗 on the right and is the normal word for "sink," as in 沉没 (chénmò), while 沈 has 冘 and is mostly used for the surname Shěn.
Questions about 沈
How many strokes are in 沈?
沈 is written with 7 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 沈 mean?
沈 (chén) means to sink, to submerge; addicted; surname.
How do you pronounce 沈?
沈 is pronounced chén, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 沈?
The radical of 沈 is 氵, which carries the idea of "water". Dictionaries list 沈 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 沈?
The traditional form of 沈 is 瀋. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 沈 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 沈 pronounced chén or shěn?
Both readings exist. As a surname and in the place name 沈阳, it is read shěn, which is the reading you will hear most. The reading chén is an older form meaning "to sink."
Why is the traditional form of 沈 sometimes listed as 瀋?
瀋 (shěn) originally meant juice and was used in the name of 瀋陽 (Shenyang). Simplified Chinese merged it into 沈. The surname Shen was always written 沈, even in traditional script.