献 meaning and stroke order
To offer; to present; to dedicate
How to write 献, stroke by stroke
13 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 献
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to offer
- to present
- to dedicate
- to donate
- to show
- to put on display
How 献 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Dog.
犬 gives the meaning and 南 hints at the sound.
Radical: 犬 (dog), shared by 14 characters on this site.
How to remember 献
献 is built from 南 (nán, south) on the left and 犬 (quǎn, dog) on the right. Picture someone presenting a dog as a gift to a lord in the south. The dog part 犬 carries the meaning, and 南 was chosen as the sound component.
献 is a formal word for giving something respectfully or for a good cause. It appears mostly in compounds like 贡献 (gòngxiàn, to contribute), 奉献 (fèngxiàn, to dedicate) and 献血 (xiànxiě, to donate blood). Example: 他为国家做出了很大的贡献。(Tā wèi guójiā zuòchū le hěn dà de gòngxiàn.) He made a great contribution to his country.
Common mistake: Learners often write the right side as 大 and forget the dot of 犬. Learners also use 献 for everyday giving, but 送 (sòng) is the normal word for giving someone a present, and 献 sounds solemn or ceremonial.
Common words with 献
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 奉献 | fèngxiàn | to offer respectfully; to consecrate | HSK 6 |
| 贡献 | gòngxiàn | to contribute; to dedicate | HSK 6 |
| 捐献 | juānxiàn | to donate; to contribute | HSK 7-9 |
| 文献 | wénxiàn | reference material (used in scholarly study) | HSK 7-9 |
| 献血 | xiànxiě | to donate blood | HSK 7-9 |
| 献上 | xiànshàng | to offer (respectfully); to present | |
| 献出 | xiànchū | to offer; to give (as tribute) | |
| 献身 | xiànshēn | to commit one's energy to; to devote oneself to | |
| 献祭 | xiànjì | to offer sacrifice | |
| 献唱 | xiànchàng | to perform a song |
献 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 献
How many strokes are in 献?
献 is written with 13 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 献 mean?
献 (xiàn) means to offer; to present; to dedicate. A common word with it is 奉献 (fèngxiàn), meaning "to offer respectfully; to consecrate".
How do you pronounce 献?
献 is pronounced xiàn, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 献?
The radical of 献 is 犬, which carries the idea of "dog". Dictionaries list 献 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 献?
The traditional form of 献 is 獻. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 献 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 献 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 献 is part of the HSK 5 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Why does 文献 mean reference material if 献 means to offer?
文献 (wénxiàn) is an old fixed term for written records and documents, now used for academic literature and sources. In this word you do not need to think of offering. Just learn 文献 as one unit.
How is 献血 pronounced, xiànxuè or xiànxiě?
Both are heard. Dictionaries often give xiànxiě for this word, and many speakers say xiànxuè in formal speech. Either will be understood.