縣 meaning and stroke order
County, district, subdivision
How to write 縣, 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 縣
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- county
- (Japan) prefecture
How 縣 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. District 県 borders 系; 県 also provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 糸 (silk), shared by 27 characters on this site.
How to remember 縣
On the left is 県, which gives the sound xiàn, and on the right is 系 (xì), a thread or system. Picture a county as a district 県 tied by threads 系 to its neighbors, forming a linked system of local areas.
縣 is the traditional form of 县 (xiàn), used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and older texts, and it names a county-level administrative area below a province. In Japanese the same idea is used for prefectures, such as 千葉縣 (Qiānyè xiàn) for Chiba Prefecture. Example: 他是這個縣的縣長。(Tā shì zhège xiàn de xiànzhǎng.) He is the head of this county.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes confuse 縣 with 懸 (xuán, to hang), which simply adds 心 underneath, so check the bottom of the character. Also keep the tone falling, xiàn, not xiān or xián.
Common words with 縣
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 縣長 | xiànzhǎng | county's head commissioner |
Characters that contain 縣
Learning 縣 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 縣
How many strokes are in 縣?
縣 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 縣 mean?
縣 (xiàn) means county, district, subdivision. A common word with it is 县长 (xiànzhǎng), meaning "county's head commissioner".
How do you pronounce 縣?
縣 is pronounced xiàn, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 縣?
The radical of 縣 is 糸, which carries the idea of "silk". Dictionaries list 縣 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 縣?
縣 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 县, used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is a 縣 bigger or smaller than a 市?
It depends on the region. In mainland China a 县 usually sits under a prefecture-level 市 (shì), while some cities are themselves county-level. In Taiwan, 縣 and 市 are parallel units at the same level.
How do you say a county name in Chinese?
Put the place name first and 縣 after it, like 宜蘭縣 (Yílán xiàn), Yilan County. This follows the general Chinese pattern of name plus category word.