穿 meaning and stroke order
To bore through; to pierce; to perforate; to go through (e.g. a tunnel); to cross (e.g. a street); to thread; to string together
How to write 穿, stroke by stroke
9 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
Meaning of 穿
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to bore through; to pierce; to perforate
- to go through (e.g. a tunnel); to cross (e.g. a street)
- to thread; to string together
- to wear; to put on (clothes, shoes etc.)
- verb complement indicating thoroughness or completion
How 穿 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Tooth.
牙 gives the meaning and 穴 hints at the sound.
Radical: 穴 (cave), shared by 46 characters on this site.
How to remember 穿
The top of 穿 is 穴 (xué, hole or cave) and the bottom is 牙 (yá, tooth). Picture a tooth biting through something to make a hole: that is piercing, and pushing your arms through sleeves is how you wear clothes.
穿 (chuān) is the everyday verb for wearing clothes, shoes and socks, and it also means to pass through or cross something. Example: 他穿了一件红衣服。(Tā chuān le yí jiàn hóng yīfu.) He is wearing a red shirt.
Common mistake: Learners often use 穿 for everything they wear, but hats, glasses and watches take 戴 (dài), as in 戴帽子 (dài màozi), to wear a hat. Also do not write the bottom as 予 or 才; it is 牙 (yá).
Common words with 穿
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 穿上 | chuānshang | to put on (clothes etc) | HSK 4 |
| 穿着 | chuānzhuó | attire; clothes; dress | HSK 7-9 |
| 穿过 | chuānguò | to pass through | HSK 7-9 |
| 穿越 | chuānyuè | to traverse; to pass through; to cross; time travel (as a genre of fiction) | HSK 7-9 |
| 贯穿 | guànchuān | to run through; a connecting thread from beginning to end | HSK 7-9 |
| 穿小鞋 | chuān xiǎoxié | to have one's life made difficult by sb (usu. by sb in a position of authority) (lit. to b | HSK 7-9 |
| 看穿 | kànchuān | see through (a person, scheme, trick etc) | |
| 穿梭 | chuānsuō | to shuttle back and forth | |
| 揭穿 | jiēchuān | to expose; to uncover | |
| 刺穿 | cìchuān | to skewer; to impale | |
| 穿透 | chuāntòu | to penetrate | |
| 身穿 | shēnchuān | to wear (a garment) | |
| 穿衣 | chuānyī | to put on clothes; to get dressed | |
| 穿戴 | chuāndài | to dress; to be dressed; clothing; apparel |
穿 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 穿
How many strokes are in 穿?
穿 is written with 9 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 穿 mean?
穿 (chuān) means to bore through; to pierce; to perforate; to go through (e.g. a tunnel); to cross (e.g. a street); to thread; to string together. A common word with it is 穿上 (chuānshang), meaning "to put on (clothes etc)".
How do you pronounce 穿?
穿 is pronounced chuān, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 穿?
The radical of 穿 is 穴, which carries the idea of "cave". Dictionaries list 穿 under this radical.
Is 穿 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 穿 is part of the HSK 1 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 1.
What is the difference between 穿上 and 穿着?
穿上 (chuānshang) describes the action of putting something on, as in 快穿上外套 (Kuài chuānshang wàitào), put your coat on quickly. 穿着 read as chuānzhe describes the state of wearing something, while chuānzhuó is a noun meaning attire.
What does 穿 mean after another verb, like 看穿?
After a verb, 穿 works as a complement showing the action goes all the way through. 看穿 (kànchuān) means to see through a trick, and 说穿 (shuōchuān) means to reveal something openly.