艦 meaning and stroke order
Warship
How to write 艦, stroke by stroke
20 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 艦
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- warship
How 艦 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Ship.
舟 gives the meaning and 監 hints at the sound.
Radical: 舟 (boat), shared by 35 characters on this site.
How to remember 艦
艦 is a pictophonetic character. The left part 舟 (zhōu, boat) gives the meaning of a ship, and the right part 監 (jiān, to supervise) gives the sound. Picture a boat that keeps watch over the sea, and you have a warship.
艦 rarely stands alone and usually appears in compounds about naval vessels, such as 軍艦 (jūnjiàn, warship) and 艦隊 (jiànduì, fleet). Example: 那艘軍艦停在港口。(Nà sōu jūnjiàn tíng zài gǎngkǒu.) That warship is docked in the harbor.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes say jiān with a first tone because of the phonetic 監 (jiān), but 艦 is fourth tone, jiàn. Also do not confuse it with 船 (chuán), the everyday word for any boat. 艦 is only for military ships.
Common words with 艦
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 軍艦 | jūnjiàn | warship; military naval vessel | HSK 6 |
| 艦長 | jiànzhǎng | commander; captain (of a warship) | |
| 艦隊 | jiànduì | fleet | |
| 戰艦 | zhànjiàn | battleship; warship | |
| 艦橋 | jiànqiáo | bridge (of a naval ship) | |
| 驅逐艦 | qūzhújiàn | destroyer (warship) | |
| 航空母艦 | hángkōngmǔjiàn | aircraft carrier (CL:艘[sou1]); (fig.) juggernaut | |
| 艦艇 | jiàntǐng | warship; naval vessel | |
| 巡洋艦 | xúnyángjiàn | cruiser (warship); battle cruiser | |
| 旗艦 | qíjiàn | flagship | |
| 船艦 | chuánjiàn | navy vessel; (coast guard) patrol boat | |
| 艦船 | jiànchuán | warship |
Questions about 艦
How many strokes are in 艦?
艦 is written with 20 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 艦 mean?
艦 (jiàn) means warship. A common word with it is 军舰 (jūnjiàn), meaning "warship; military naval vessel".
How do you pronounce 艦?
艦 is pronounced jiàn, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 艦?
The radical of 艦 is 舟, which carries the idea of "boat". Dictionaries list 艦 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 艦?
艦 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 舰, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What measure word is used with 艦?
Ships, including warships, usually take 艘 (sōu), as in 一艘軍艦 (yì sōu jūnjiàn, one warship). This also applies to 航空母艦 (hángkōngmǔjiàn, aircraft carrier).
What is the difference between 艦 and 艇?
艦 (jiàn) usually refers to larger naval warships, while 艇 (tǐng) refers to smaller boats or craft. The compound 艦艇 (jiàntǐng) covers naval vessels in general.