燦 meaning and stroke order
Vivid, illuminating, brilliant
How to write 燦, stroke by stroke
17 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 燦
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- glorious
- bright
- brilliant
- lustrous
- resplendent
How 燦 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Fire.
火 gives the meaning and 粲 hints at the sound.
Radical: 火 (fire), shared by 128 characters on this site.
How to remember 燦
燦 combines 火 (fire) on the left, which gives the meaning of bright light, with 粲 (càn) on the right, which gives the sound. Picture fire making everything shine brilliantly, and the right side tells you to say càn.
燦 rarely stands alone. It mostly appears in the word 燦爛 (cànlàn, simplified 灿烂), meaning brilliant or splendid, used for sunshine, smiles, stars, or a bright future. Example: 陽光燦爛 (yángguāng cànlàn) The sunshine is brilliant.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 燦 with its phonetic part 粲 (càn), which has no fire radical and is mostly used in the phrase 粲然 (cànrán) for a bright smile. When you mean glowing light, remember to write 火 on the left.
Common words with 燦
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 燦爛 | cànlàn | to glitter; brilliant | HSK 7-9 |
Questions about 燦
How many strokes are in 燦?
燦 is written with 17 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 燦 mean?
燦 (càn) means vivid, illuminating, brilliant. A common word with it is 灿烂 (cànlàn), meaning "to glitter; brilliant".
How do you pronounce 燦?
燦 is pronounced càn, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 燦?
The radical of 燦 is 火, which carries the idea of "fire". Dictionaries list 燦 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 燦?
燦 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 灿, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the difference between 燦 and 灿?
They are the same character. 燦 is the form used in Taiwan and Hong Kong, and 灿 is the simplified form used in mainland China, where the right side is replaced by 山.
Can 燦爛 describe things other than light?
Yes. Besides sunlight or stars, it is often used figuratively, as in 燦爛的笑容 (cànlàn de xiàoróng, a radiant smile) or 燦爛的文化 (cànlàn de wénhuà, a splendid culture).