绢 meaning and stroke order
A kind of thick stiff silk
How to write 绢, stroke by stroke
10 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
- 10
Meaning of 绢
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- thin, tough silk fabric
How 绢 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Silk.
纟 gives the meaning and 肙 hints at the sound.
Radical: 纟 (silk), shared by 143 characters on this site.
How to remember 绢
The silk radical 纟 on the left tells you the meaning is silk, and 肙 (yuàn) on the right gives the sound, close to juàn. Picture a silk thread 纟 wrapped around a small bundle 肙 to make a piece of silk cloth.
绢 (juàn) refers to a thin but strong silk fabric, and it appears mostly in compound words rather than alone. The most common everyday word is 手绢 (shǒujuàn), a handkerchief. Example: 她用手绢擦眼泪。(Tā yòng shǒujuàn cā yǎnlèi.) She wiped her tears with a handkerchief.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 绢 (juàn) with 娟 (juān, graceful) or 捐 (juān, to donate), which share the same right side 肙 but have different radicals and a first tone. Remember that only the silk radical 纟 gives the fourth-tone juàn meaning silk.
Common words with 绢
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 手绢 | shǒujuàn | handkerchief |
绢 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 绢
How many strokes are in 绢?
绢 is written with 10 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 绢 mean?
绢 (juàn) means a kind of thick stiff silk. A common word with it is 手绢 (shǒujuàn), meaning "handkerchief".
How do you pronounce 绢?
绢 is pronounced juàn, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 绢?
The radical of 绢 is 纟, which carries the idea of "silk". Dictionaries list 绢 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 绢?
The traditional form of 绢 is 絹. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 绢 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 手绢 still used in modern Chinese?
Yes, 手绢 (shǒujuàn) is widely understood and used, especially in northern speech. Many people now also say 手帕 (shǒupà), and for paper tissues they use 纸巾 (zhǐjīn).
What other words use 绢?
You may see 绢 in words related to silk art and crafts, such as 绢画 (juànhuà), a painting on silk. These words are more formal or specialized than 手绢.