禪 meaning and stroke order
Meditation, contemplation
How to write 禪, stroke by stroke
16 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 禪
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- dhyana (Sanskrit)
- Zen
- meditation (Buddhism)
- to abdicate
How 禪 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. To pray 礻 alone 單; 單 also provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 礻 (spirit), shared by 43 characters on this site.
How to remember 禪
On the left is 礻, the spirit or altar side, and on the right is 單 (dān), meaning single or alone. Picture someone praying alone in silence, which is meditation, and let 單 remind you of the sound chán.
禪 (chán) appears mostly in Buddhist contexts and in words about Zen and meditation, such as 禪宗 (Chánzōng, Zen Buddhism). It is also common in the everyday word 口頭禪 (kǒutóuchán), meaning a catchphrase or pet expression. Example: 「沒問題」是他的口頭禪。("Méi wèntí" shì tā de kǒutóuchán.) "No problem" is his catchphrase.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 禪 with 彈 (tán or dàn), which has the same right part 單 but the bow radical 弓 on the left. Also remember that 礻 has only one dot on top, unlike 衤 (clothing), which has an extra stroke.
Common words with 禪
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 禪杖 | chánzhàng | the staff of a Buddhist monk | HSK 7-9 |
| 口頭禪 | kǒutóuchán | Zen saying repeated as cant; (fig.) catchphrase; mantra; favorite expression; stock phrase |
Questions about 禪
How many strokes are in 禪?
禪 is written with 16 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 禪 mean?
禪 (chán) means meditation, contemplation. A common word with it is 禅杖 (chánzhàng), meaning "the staff of a Buddhist monk".
How do you pronounce 禪?
禪 is pronounced chán, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 禪?
The radical of 禪 is 礻, which carries the idea of "spirit". Dictionaries list 禪 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 禪?
禪 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 禅, used in mainland China and Singapore.
Why is 禪 sometimes read shàn?
When it means to abdicate, as in an emperor handing the throne to someone else, it is read shàn. This reading shows up in classical and historical texts, for example 禪讓 (shànràng, to abdicate in favor of another).
Is the word Zen related to 禪?
Yes. 禪 (chán) came from the Sanskrit word dhyana, meaning meditation. The Japanese pronunciation of this same character is the source of the English word Zen.