獻 meaning and stroke order
To offer, to present; to show, to display
How to write 獻, stroke by stroke
20 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 獻
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to offer
- to present
- to dedicate
- to donate
- to show
- to put on display
How 獻 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Dog.
犬 gives the meaning and 鬳 hints at the sound.
Radical: 犬 (dog), shared by 14 characters on this site.
How to remember 獻
獻 is built from 鬳, a cooking vessel that gives the sound, and 犬 (quǎn, dog), the meaning part. Picture a dog placed beside a pot as an offering, and you have "to offer, to present."
獻 is the traditional form. Mainland China writes it as 献, which appears in common words like 贡献 (gòngxiàn, to contribute) and 献血 (xiànxiě, to donate blood). It often carries a respectful tone of giving something valuable. Example: 他為國家獻出了生命。(Tā wèi guójiā xiànchū le shēngmìng.) He gave his life for his country.
Common mistake: Learners often write the left side of 獻 with a plain 虍 and forget the 鬲 vessel underneath, since 鬳 is crowded. In 献血, many also read 血 as xuè, but the common spoken reading in this word is xiě.
Common words with 獻
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 奉獻 | fèngxiàn | to offer respectfully; to consecrate | HSK 6 |
| 貢獻 | gòngxiàn | to contribute; to dedicate | HSK 6 |
| 捐獻 | juānxiàn | to donate; to contribute | HSK 7-9 |
| 文獻 | wénxiàn | reference material (used in scholarly study) | HSK 7-9 |
| 獻血 | xiànxiě | to donate blood | HSK 7-9 |
| 獻上 | xiànshàng | to offer (respectfully); to present | |
| 獻出 | xiànchū | to offer; to give (as tribute) | |
| 獻身 | xiànshēn | to commit one's energy to; to devote oneself to | |
| 獻祭 | xiànjì | to offer sacrifice | |
| 獻唱 | xiànchàng | to perform a song |
Questions about 獻
How many strokes are in 獻?
獻 is written with 20 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 獻 mean?
獻 (xiàn) means to offer, to present; to show, to display. A common word with it is 奉献 (fèngxiàn), meaning "to offer respectfully; to consecrate".
How do you pronounce 獻?
獻 is pronounced xiàn, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 獻?
The radical of 獻 is 犬, which carries the idea of "dog". Dictionaries list 獻 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 獻?
獻 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 献, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the difference between 献 and 捐?
捐 (juān) is mostly about donating money or goods, as in 捐钱. 献 is broader and more formal, covering offering your effort, your life, or a gift to someone you respect. They combine in 捐献 (juānxiàn, to donate).
Why does 文献 mean reference material if 献 means to offer?
In 文献 (wénxiàn), the word is an old fixed term for written records and documents. Today it simply means scholarly sources or literature, so learn it as a whole word rather than from the meaning of 献 alone.