痕 meaning and stroke order
Scar, mark; vestige, trace
How to write 痕, stroke by stroke
11 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 痕
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- scar
- traces
How 痕 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Sickness.
疒 gives the meaning and 艮 hints at the sound.
Radical: 疒 (sickness), shared by 127 characters on this site.
How to remember 痕
The sickness radical 疒 shows this is about the body after illness or injury, and 艮 (gèn) gives the sound. Picture a wound under the sickbed roof that heals but leaves a mark behind: a scar.
痕 (hén) rarely stands alone and usually appears in compounds like 痕迹 (hénjì, trace) and 伤痕 (shānghén, scar). It covers physical marks on skin and objects, and figurative marks like emotional wounds or cracks in a relationship. Example: 桌子上有一道划痕。(Zhuōzi shang yǒu yí dào huáhén.) There is a scratch on the table.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 痕 (hén) with 狠 (hěn, ruthless) and 恨 (hèn, to hate), which share the 艮 part and a similar sound. Check the radical: 疒 for marks and scars, 犭 for 狠, 忄 for 恨, and watch the second tone in hén.
Common words with 痕
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
痕 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 痕
How many strokes are in 痕?
痕 is written with 11 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 痕 mean?
痕 (hén) means scar, mark; vestige, trace. A common word with it is 痕迹 (hénjì), meaning "vestige; mark".
How do you pronounce 痕?
痕 is pronounced hén, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 痕?
The radical of 痕 is 疒, which carries the idea of "sickness". Dictionaries list 痕 under this radical.
Is 痕 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 痕 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 伤痕 and 疤痕?
疤痕 (bāhén) is a scar that has healed on the skin. 伤痕 (shānghén) is broader and can mean wounds, bruises, or emotional scars, as in 心灵的伤痕 (emotional scars).
Can 痕迹 be used for non-physical traces?
Yes. 痕迹 (hénjì) can describe traces of time, history, or influence, for example 岁月的痕迹 (suìyuè de hénjì), the marks left by the years.