碗 meaning and stroke order
Bowl; cup
How to write 碗, 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 碗
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- bowl
- cup
- variant of 碗[wan3]
How 碗 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Stone.
石 gives the meaning and 宛 hints at the sound.
Radical: 石 (stone), shared by 114 characters on this site.
How to remember 碗
碗 combines 石 (stone) on the left, hinting at bowls made of hard material like stone or ceramic, with 宛 (wǎn) on the right giving the sound. Picture a sturdy stone bowl that sounds like wǎn.
碗 is the everyday word for a bowl, and it also works as a measure word for things served in bowls, like rice or soup. Example: 我要一碗米饭。(Wǒ yào yì wǎn mǐfàn.) I want a bowl of rice.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 碗 (wǎn) with 晚 (wǎn, evening) because they sound the same and both have 免/宛-like right sides. Remember that 碗 has 石 on the left and 宛 on the right, while 晚 has 日 (sun) and 免.
Common words with 碗
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
碗 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 碗
How many strokes are in 碗?
碗 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 碗 mean?
碗 (wǎn) means bowl; cup. A common word with it is 饭碗 (fànwǎn), meaning "rice bowl; fig. livelihood".
How do you pronounce 碗?
碗 is pronounced wǎn, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 碗?
The radical of 碗 is 石, which carries the idea of "stone". Dictionaries list 碗 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 碗?
The traditional form of 碗 is 㼝, 椀 and 盌. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 碗 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 碗 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 碗 is part of the HSK 2 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 2.
What does 饭碗 mean besides rice bowl?
饭碗 (fànwǎn) also means a job or livelihood, since your job is what fills your rice bowl. 铁饭碗 (tiě fànwǎn), an iron rice bowl, means a very secure job.
How do I say I wash the dishes in Chinese?
Say 我洗碗 (wǒ xǐwǎn). Even if you are washing plates and cups too, 洗碗 is the normal phrase for doing the dishes.