腺 meaning and stroke order
Gland
How to write 腺, stroke by stroke
13 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 腺
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- gland
How 腺 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Flesh.
⺼ gives the meaning and 泉 hints at the sound.
Radical: ⺼ (meat), shared by 176 characters on this site.
How to remember 腺
腺 combines the flesh radical ⺼ with 泉 (quán, spring). Picture a little spring inside your body's flesh that releases fluids, which is what a gland does.
腺 almost never stands alone. It appears in medical and anatomy words such as 甲状腺 (jiǎzhuàngxiàn, thyroid) and 乳腺 (rǔxiàn, mammary gland). Example: 他的甲状腺有问题。(Tā de jiǎzhuàngxiàn yǒu wèntí.) He has a thyroid problem.
Common mistake: Learners often read 腺 as quán because of 泉, but the correct reading is xiàn with a falling fourth tone. Also do not confuse it with 线 (xiàn, thread), which sounds the same but uses the silk radical.
Common words with 腺
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 肾上腺素 | shènshàngxiànsù | adrenaline | |
| 前列腺 | qiánlièxiàn | prostate gland | |
| 乳腺癌 | rǔxiàn'ái | breast cancer | |
| 甲状腺 | jiǎzhuàngxiàn | (anatomy) thyroid gland |
腺 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 腺
How many strokes are in 腺?
腺 is written with 13 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 腺 mean?
腺 (xiàn) means gland. A common word with it is 肾上腺素 (shènshàngxiànsù), meaning "adrenaline".
How do you pronounce 腺?
腺 is pronounced xiàn, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 腺?
The radical of 腺 is ⺼, which carries the idea of "meat". Dictionaries list 腺 under this radical.
Is 腺 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 腺 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do you say adrenaline in Chinese?
Adrenaline is 肾上腺素 (shènshàngxiànsù). Literally it means the element of the gland above the kidney, since 肾 (shèn) is kidney and 素 (sù) means element or substance.
Is 腺 used in everyday conversation?
Mostly in health contexts, like at the doctor or in news about illness. Common examples are 前列腺 (qiánlièxiàn, prostate) and 乳腺癌 (rǔxiàn'ái, breast cancer).