绵 meaning and stroke order
Continuous, unbroken; cotten, silk; soft, downy
How to write 绵, stroke by stroke
11 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
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- 11
Meaning of 绵
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- silk floss
- continuous
- soft
- weak
- mild-mannered (dialect)
- old variant of 綿|绵[mian2]
How 绵 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A continuous thread 纟 of silk 帛.
Radical: 纟 (silk), shared by 143 characters on this site.
How to remember 绵
A silk thread 纟 runs alongside a piece of silk cloth 帛 (bó). Silk is soft, and a silk thread can stretch on and on, so 绵 means both soft and continuous.
绵 rarely appears alone in modern Chinese. It shows up in words like 海绵 (hǎimián, sponge), 绵羊 (miányáng, sheep) and 连绵 (liánmián, continuous), often describing soft things or things that stretch without a break. Example: 远处的山连绵不断。(Yuǎnchù de shān liánmián búduàn.) The mountains in the distance stretch on without end.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 绵 with 棉 (mián, cotton), which has the same sound but the wood radical 木. Cotton is 棉花 (miánhua), not 绵花, while sheep is 绵羊, not 棉羊.
Common words with 绵
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
绵 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 绵
How many strokes are in 绵?
绵 is written with 11 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 绵 mean?
绵 (mián) means continuous, unbroken; cotten, silk; soft, downy. A common word with it is 海绵 (hǎimián), meaning "(zoology) sea sponge; (esp.) dried sea sponge".
How do you pronounce 绵?
绵 is pronounced mián, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 绵?
The radical of 绵 is 纟, which carries the idea of "silk". Dictionaries list 绵 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 绵?
The traditional form of 绵 is 綿 and 緜. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 绵 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 绵 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 绵 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Why is sheep called 绵羊?
绵羊 (miányáng) refers to the soft, woolly kind of sheep, using the soft and downy sense of 绵. It contrasts with 山羊 (shānyáng), which means goat.
What does 软绵绵 mean and how is it used?
软绵绵 (ruǎnmiánmián) describes something very soft, like a pillow or fresh bread. It can also describe a person feeling weak and limp, as in 我全身软绵绵的 (wǒ quánshēn ruǎnmiánmián de), I feel weak all over.