纤 meaning and stroke order
Fine, delicate; tiny, minute
How to write 纤, stroke by stroke
6 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
Meaning of 纤
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- boatman's tow-rope
- fine
- delicate
- minute
How 纤 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Silk.
纟 gives the meaning and 千 hints at the sound.
Radical: 纟 (silk), shared by 143 characters on this site.
How to remember 纤
纤 combines the silk radical 纟 with 千 (qiān), which gives the sound. Picture a single silk thread so fine you would need a thousand (千) of them to make one strand.
纤 (xiān) is mostly found in compounds about thin threads or slender shapes, such as 纤维 (xiānwéi) fiber and 纤细 (xiānxì) slender. Example: 这种布是化纤做的。(Zhè zhǒng bù shì huàxiān zuò de.) This cloth is made of synthetic fiber.
Common mistake: Learners often read 纤 as qiān because of the phonetic 千, but in words like 纤维 it is xiān with a first tone. Also do not confuse it with 歼 (jiān, annihilate), which has the same right side but a different radical.
Common words with 纤
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
纤 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 纤
How many strokes are in 纤?
纤 is written with 6 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 纤 mean?
纤 (xiān) means fine, delicate; tiny, minute. A common word with it is 纤维 (xiānwéi), meaning "fiber".
How do you pronounce 纤?
纤 is pronounced xiān, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 纤?
The radical of 纤 is 纟, which carries the idea of "silk". Dictionaries list 纤 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 纤?
The traditional form of 纤 is 縴 and 纖. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 纤 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 纤 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 纤 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
When is 纤 pronounced qiàn?
It is read qiàn when it means a tow-rope used to pull a boat, as in 拉纤 (lāqiàn) to tow a boat along the shore. In this sense the traditional form is 縴, while the xiān sense uses 纖.
How is 纤 used to describe people?
It describes a slim, delicate build or fine features, often in written style, as in 纤细的手指 (xiānxì de shǒuzhǐ) slender fingers or 纤手 (xiānshǒu) delicate hands. It usually carries a sense of elegance.