TraceHanzi

漸 meaning and stroke order

jiàn

Gradually

14 strokesRadical 氵Simplified 渐
Strokes14
Pinyinjiàn
ToneTone 4
Frequency#3,665
Printable worksheet

How to write 漸, stroke by stroke

14 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 漸

Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.

jiānfirst tone (high and level)
  1. to imbue
jiànfourth tone (falling)
  1. gradual
  2. gradually

How 漸 is built

Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Water.

shuǐwater+zhǎnto chop

氵 gives the meaning and 斬 hints at the sound.

Radical: 氵 (water), shared by 467 characters on this site.

How to remember 漸

漸 is water 氵 beside 斬 (zhǎn, to cut), which gives the sound. Picture water slowly cutting through rock, little by little, and you have "gradually."

漸 is the traditional form, and the simplified form 渐 is what you will see in most word lists. It usually appears in words like 逐漸 (zhújiàn) and 漸漸 (jiànjiàn), placed before a verb or adjective to show slow change. Example: 天氣漸漸冷了。(Tiānqì jiànjiàn lěng le.) The weather is gradually getting colder.

Common mistake: Learners often read 漸 as zhǎn because of its phonetic part 斬, but the common reading is jiàn with a falling fourth tone. Also avoid confusing it with 慚 (cán, ashamed), which has the heart radical 忄 instead of water.

Common words with 漸

Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.

WordPinyinMeaningLevel
逐漸zhújiàngraduallyHSK 4
漸漸jiànjiàngraduallyHSK 4
循序漸進xúnxù-jiànjìnin sequence, step by step (idiom); to make steady progress incrementallyHSK 7-9
日漸rìjiànto progress (or increase, change etc) day by day; more (or better etc) with each passing d

Questions about 漸

How many strokes are in 漸?

漸 is written with 14 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.

What does 漸 mean?

漸 (jiàn) means gradually. A common word with it is 逐渐 (zhújiàn), meaning "gradually".

How do you pronounce 漸?

漸 is pronounced jiàn, in the fourth tone (falling).

What is the radical of 漸?

The radical of 漸 is 氵, which carries the idea of "water". Dictionaries list 漸 under this radical.

What is the simplified form of 漸?

漸 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 渐, used in mainland China and Singapore.

What is the difference between 漸漸 and 逐漸?

Both mean gradually and are often interchangeable. 漸漸 feels more natural in speech and storytelling and can take 地. 逐漸 sounds a bit more formal and is common in writing and reports.

When is 漸 read jiān?

The jiān reading means to imbue or soak into and is literary and rare. You will mainly meet it in classical texts. In everyday Chinese, read it jiàn.