熏 meaning and stroke order
To smoke; to fumigate; to assail the nostrils
How to write 熏, 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 熏
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to smoke
- to fumigate
- to assail the nostrils
- to perfume
- variant of 熏[xun1]
- fragrance
How 熏 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Fire.
灬 gives the meaning.
Radical: 灬 (fire), shared by 28 characters on this site.
How to remember 熏
The four dots at the bottom, 灬, are fire. Picture meat hanging over a low fire so the smoke rises up through it, and you have 熏 (xūn), to smoke or cure.
熏 is used for smoking food, for smoke or smells hitting you, and figuratively in 熏陶 (xūntáo), being shaped by your surroundings over time. Example: 他从小受到音乐的熏陶。(Tā cóngxiǎo shòudào yīnyuè de xūntáo.) He was influenced by music from a young age.
Common mistake: Learners often write it with the third tone or confuse it with 薰 (xūn), which has the grass radical 艹 on top and leans toward fragrance, as in 薰衣草 (xūnyīcǎo, lavender). For smoking meat or smoke stinging your eyes, use 熏.
Common words with 熏
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
熏 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 熏
Learning 熏 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 熏
How many strokes are in 熏?
熏 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 熏 mean?
熏 (xūn) means to smoke; to fumigate; to assail the nostrils. A common word with it is 熏陶 (xūntáo), meaning "to seep in; to influence".
How do you pronounce 熏?
熏 is pronounced xūn, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 熏?
The radical of 熏 is 灬, which carries the idea of "fire". Dictionaries list 熏 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 熏?
The traditional form of 熏 is 燻 and 薰. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 熏 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 熏 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 熏 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do I say a smell is so strong it is overwhelming?
You can say 熏人 (xūnrén) or 熏得慌. For example, 这味道太熏人了 (zhè wèidào tài xūnrén le) means this smell is overpowering.
Does 熏 have another pronunciation?
Yes, in some colloquial uses it is read xùn, meaning to be suffocated by gas, as in 煤气熏着了 (méiqì xùn zháo le). In most words and in standard learning, read it as xūn.