缓 meaning and stroke order
Slow; unhurried; sluggish
How to write 缓, 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.
- 1
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- 4
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- 12
Meaning of 缓
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- slow
- unhurried
- sluggish
- gradual
- not tense
- relaxed
How 缓 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Thread.
纟 gives the meaning and 爰 hints at the sound.
Radical: 纟 (silk), shared by 143 characters on this site.
How to remember 缓
缓 is built from the silk radical 纟 (thread) plus 爰 (yuán), which hints at the sound. Picture a thread that is let out slowly and kept loose, not pulled tight, and you get the idea of slow and relaxed.
缓 rarely stands alone in speech. It mostly appears in compounds like 缓慢 (slow), 缓解 (to relieve), and 缓和 (to ease tension). Example: 这种药可以缓解头痛。 (Zhè zhǒng yào kěyǐ huǎnjiě tóutòng.) This medicine can relieve headaches.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 缓 with 暖 (nuǎn, warm), because both have 爰 on the right. Remember that 缓 has the thread radical 纟 and 暖 has the sun radical 日 for warmth.
Common words with 缓
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 缓解 | huǎnjiě | to bring relief; to alleviate (a crisis) | HSK 4 |
| 缓慢 | huǎnmàn | slow; unhurried; sluggish | HSK 7-9 |
| 缓缓 | huǎnhuǎn | slowly; unhurriedly | HSK 7-9 |
| 缓和 | huǎnhé | to ease (tension); to alleviate | HSK 7-9 |
| 延缓 | yánhuǎn | to defer; to postpone | HSK 7-9 |
| 缓刑 | huǎnxíng | suspended sentence; probation | |
| 减缓 | jiǎnhuǎn | to slow down; to retard | |
| 舒缓 | shūhuǎn | to ease (tension); to relax | |
| 缓冲 | huǎnchōng | buffer; to cushion | |
| 暂缓 | zànhuǎn | to postpone |
缓 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 缓
How many strokes are in 缓?
缓 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 缓 mean?
缓 (huǎn) means slow; unhurried; sluggish. A common word with it is 缓解 (huǎnjiě), meaning "to bring relief; to alleviate (a crisis)".
How do you pronounce 缓?
缓 is pronounced huǎn, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 缓?
The radical of 缓 is 纟, which carries the idea of "silk". Dictionaries list 缓 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 缓?
The traditional form of 缓 is 緩. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 缓 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 缓 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 缓 is part of the HSK 4 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 缓慢 and 慢?
慢 (màn) is the everyday word for slow and works in casual speech. 缓慢 (huǎnmàn) is more formal and written, often describing processes like 经济增长缓慢 (slow economic growth).
How do you say 'wait a moment, let me catch my breath' using 缓?
You can say 让我缓一缓 (ràng wǒ huǎn yi huǎn) or 缓口气 (huǎn kǒu qì). Here 缓 means to recover or take a breather, a common spoken use.