艰 meaning and stroke order
Difficult, hard; hardship
How to write 艰, stroke by stroke
8 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 艰
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- difficult
- hard
- hardship
How 艰 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Tough.
艮 gives the meaning and 堇 hints at the sound.
Radical: 又 (and), shared by 21 characters on this site.
How to remember 艰
The left part 又 is a hand, and the right part 艮 carries the idea of tough, stubborn resistance. Picture a hand pushing against something tough that will not move, and you have hardship: 艰 (jiān).
艰 almost never stands alone in modern Chinese. It appears in two-character words like 艰难 (jiānnán), 艰苦 (jiānkǔ) and 艰巨 (jiānjù), often in written or formal speech. Example: 那几年的生活很艰苦。(Nà jǐ nián de shēnghuó hěn jiānkǔ.) Life was very hard in those years.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 艰 with 很 (hěn) or 根 (gēn), which share the 艮 part. In 艰 the left side is 又, not 彳 or 木. Also, 艰巨 is used for big tasks or responsibilities, not for describing a hard life. Use 艰苦 for that.
Common words with 艰
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 艰难 | jiānnán | difficult; arduous; hard | HSK 5 |
| 艰苦 | jiānkǔ | difficult; hard | HSK 5 |
| 艰辛 | jiānxīn | hardships; arduous | HSK 7-9 |
| 艰巨 | jiānjù | (of a task, mission or responsibility) extremely difficult; challenging; demanding | HSK 7-9 |
| 艰险 | jiānxiǎn | difficult and dangerous; hardships and perils | HSK 7-9 |
| 艰苦奋斗 | jiānkǔ-fèndòu | to struggle arduously | HSK 7-9 |
艰 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 艰
How many strokes are in 艰?
艰 is written with 8 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 艰 mean?
艰 (jiān) means difficult, hard; hardship. A common word with it is 艰难 (jiānnán), meaning "difficult; arduous; hard".
How do you pronounce 艰?
艰 is pronounced jiān, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 艰?
The radical of 艰 is 又, which carries the idea of "and". Dictionaries list 艰 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 艰?
The traditional form of 艰 is 艱. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 艰 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 艰 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 艰 is part of the HSK 5 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
What is the difference between 艰难 and 困难?
困难 (kùnnan) is the everyday word for difficulty and can be a noun or adjective. 艰难 (jiānnán) is more formal and stronger. It suggests a heavy, painful struggle, as in 艰难的选择 (a very hard choice).
Why does the traditional form 艱 look so different?
In 艱 the left side is 堇, which gave the original sound. The simplified form replaced that complex part with 又, a common simplification shortcut. The right side 艮 stayed the same.