湾 meaning and stroke order
Bay, cove, gulf, inlet
How to write 湾, 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.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
Meaning of 湾
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- bay
- gulf
- to cast anchor
- to moor (a boat)
How 湾 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Water.
氵 gives the meaning and 弯 hints at the sound.
Radical: 氵 (water), shared by 467 characters on this site.
How to remember 湾
湾 combines the water radical 氵 with 弯 (wān), which means curved or bent. Picture water 氵 tucked into a curved 弯 coastline, and you have a bay.
湾 usually appears in compound words and place names for bays, gulfs, and coves, such as 海湾 (hǎiwān) and 港湾 (gǎngwān). It can also mean to moor a boat, though this use is less common. Example: 船停在港湾里。(Chuán tíng zài gǎngwān lǐ.) The boat is moored in the harbor.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 湾 with its phonetic part 弯 (wān, to bend). Both are read wān, but only 湾 has the water radical and refers to a body of water. A road bend is 弯, not 湾.
Common words with 湾
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 海湾 | hǎiwān | bay; gulf | HSK 6 |
| 港湾 | gǎngwān | bay serving as a harbor |
湾 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 湾
How many strokes are in 湾?
湾 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 湾 mean?
湾 (wān) means bay, cove, gulf, inlet. A common word with it is 海湾 (hǎiwān), meaning "bay; gulf".
How do you pronounce 湾?
湾 is pronounced wān, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 湾?
The radical of 湾 is 氵, which carries the idea of "water". Dictionaries list 湾 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 湾?
The traditional form of 湾 is 灣. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 湾 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 湾 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 湾 is part of the HSK 6 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Why is Taiwan written with 湾?
台湾 (Táiwān) uses 湾 in its name. When you write the island's name, use 湾, not 弯. In traditional characters it is written 臺灣 or 台灣.
What is the difference between 湾 and 港?
湾 describes the geographic shape, a curved inlet of water along a coast. 港 (gǎng) means a port or harbor used by ships. The word 港湾 combines the two and means a bay that serves as a harbor.