瘟 meaning and stroke order
Epidemic, plague, pestilence
How to write 瘟, 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 瘟
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- epidemic; pestilence; plague
- (fig.) stupid; dull; (of a performance) lackluster
How 瘟 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Sickness.
疒 gives the meaning and 昷 hints at the sound.
Radical: 疒 (sickness), shared by 127 characters on this site.
How to remember 瘟
The sickness frame 疒 tells you this is about illness, and 昷 (wēn) inside gives the sound. Picture a sickbed sheltering a disease that spreads warmly from house to house, like a plague.
瘟 rarely stands alone in modern Chinese and usually appears in words like 瘟疫 (wēnyì, plague) or animal diseases such as 猪瘟 (zhūwēn, swine fever). Example: 这场瘟疫影响了很多人。(Zhè chǎng wēnyì yǐngxiǎng le hěn duō rén.) This epidemic affected many people.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 瘟 with 温 (wēn, warm), since they share the same sound and the 昷 part. Remember that 温 has the water radical 氵, while 瘟 sits under the sickness radical 疒.
Common words with 瘟
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 瘟疫 | wēnyì | plague; pestilence | HSK 7-9 |
瘟 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 瘟
How many strokes are in 瘟?
瘟 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 瘟 mean?
瘟 (wēn) means epidemic, plague, pestilence. A common word with it is 瘟疫 (wēnyì), meaning "plague; pestilence".
How do you pronounce 瘟?
瘟 is pronounced wēn, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 瘟?
The radical of 瘟 is 疒, which carries the idea of "sickness". Dictionaries list 瘟 under this radical.
Is 瘟 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 瘟 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What does 瘟神 mean?
瘟神 (wēnshén) is the god of plague in folk belief. People also use it jokingly or rudely for someone who seems to bring bad luck wherever they go.
Can 瘟 describe a boring person or show?
Yes, in colloquial speech 瘟 can mean dull or lackluster, for example a flat, lifeless performance. This use is informal and less common than the disease meaning.