瘫 meaning and stroke order
Paralyzed
How to write 瘫, stroke by stroke
15 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 瘫
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- paralyzed
How 瘫 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Sickness.
疒 gives the meaning and 难 hints at the sound.
Radical: 疒 (sickness), shared by 127 characters on this site.
How to remember 瘫
The sickness radical 疒 wraps around 难 (nán, difficult), which also hints at the sound. Picture an illness that makes moving difficult, and you get 瘫 (tān), paralyzed.
瘫 appears mostly in compounds. The most common is 瘫痪 (tānhuàn), used for medical paralysis and for systems that break down, like traffic or networks. Example: 交通瘫痪了。(Jiāotōng tānhuàn le.) Traffic came to a standstill.
Common mistake: Learners often read 瘫 as nán because of the phonetic part 难, but the correct reading is tān with a first tone. Also, do not confuse it with 摊 (tān, stall or spread out), which has the hand radical 扌 instead of 疒.
Common words with 瘫
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 瘫痪 | tānhuàn | (medicine) to suffer paralysis; (fig.) to be paralyzed; to break down; to come to a stands | HSK 7-9 |
瘫 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 瘫
How many strokes are in 瘫?
瘫 is written with 15 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 瘫 mean?
瘫 (tān) means paralyzed. A common word with it is 瘫痪 (tānhuàn), meaning "(medicine) to suffer paralysis; (fig.) to be paralyzed; to break down; to come to a stands".
How do you pronounce 瘫?
瘫 is pronounced tān, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 瘫?
The radical of 瘫 is 疒, which carries the idea of "sickness". Dictionaries list 瘫 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 瘫?
The traditional form of 瘫 is 癱. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 瘫 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 瘫 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 瘫 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What does 瘫在沙发上 mean?
It means to flop or sprawl on the sofa, usually from tiredness or laziness. In casual speech 瘫 can describe collapsing limply, not only real paralysis. For example, 我累得瘫在床上 (wǒ lèi de tān zài chuáng shàng) means I was so tired I collapsed on the bed.
Is 瘫痪 only used for people?
No. Besides patients, 瘫痪 is very common for things that stop working, such as 网络瘫痪 (wǎngluò tānhuàn, the network went down) or 系统瘫痪 (xìtǒng tānhuàn, the system crashed). It suggests a complete breakdown, not a small problem.