窜 meaning and stroke order
To flee; to scuttle; to exile or banish
How to write 窜, stroke by stroke
12 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 窜
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to flee
- to scuttle
- to exile or banish
- to amend or edit
How 窜 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. Simplified form of 竄; a mouse 鼠 running out of its hole 穴.
Radical: 穴 (cave), shared by 46 characters on this site.
How to remember 窜
The top is 穴 (xué), a hole. In the traditional form 竄, a mouse 鼠 runs out of its hole, so picture something darting out of a hole and scuttling away.
窜 usually describes people or animals moving fast and messily, often in a negative way, like criminals fleeing or rats scurrying. It appears mostly in words like 逃窜 (táocuàn) and 乱窜 (luàncuàn). Example: 老鼠在厨房里乱窜。(Lǎoshǔ zài chúfáng lǐ luàncuàn.) Rats are scurrying all over the kitchen.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 窜 with 串 (chuàn, string or skewer) because 串 is the bottom part, but 窜 needs the 穴 roof on top and is read cuàn, not chuàn. Also do not mix it up with 篡 (cuàn, to usurp), which has the same sound but a bamboo top.
Common words with 窜
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 乱窜 | luàncuàn | to flee in disarray; to scatter | |
| 逃窜 | táocuàn | to run away; to flee in disarray |
窜 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 窜
Learning 窜 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 窜
How many strokes are in 窜?
窜 is written with 12 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 窜 mean?
窜 (cuàn) means to flee; to scuttle; to exile or banish. A common word with it is 乱窜 (luàncuàn), meaning "to flee in disarray; to scatter".
How do you pronounce 窜?
窜 is pronounced cuàn, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 窜?
The radical of 窜 is 穴, which carries the idea of "cave". Dictionaries list 窜 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 窜?
The traditional form of 窜 is 竄. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 窜 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 窜 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 窜 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Can 窜 be used for neutral running, like jogging?
Not really. 窜 suggests fleeing, scurrying, or moving in a disorderly way, so it sounds negative or comic. For ordinary running use 跑 (pǎo).
How is 窜 used in the sense of editing?
This sense appears in the formal word 窜改 (cuàngǎi), to alter or tamper with a text. It often implies changing something improperly, such as falsifying a document.