艱 meaning and stroke order
Difficult, hard; hardship
How to write 艱, stroke by stroke
17 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 艱
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- difficult
- hard
- hardship
How 艱 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Tough.
艮 gives the meaning and 堇 hints at the sound.
Radical: 艮 (blunt), shared by 3 characters on this site.
How to remember 艱
艱 combines 堇 on the left, which gives the sound, and 艮 on the right, which carries the meaning of "tough." Picture something tough and stubborn like 艮 standing in your way, and life becomes 艱 (jiān), hard.
艱 is almost never used alone in modern Chinese. It appears in two-character words like 艱難 (jiānnán) and 艱苦 (jiānkǔ) that describe hard conditions or demanding tasks. Example: 他們的生活很艱苦。(Tāmen de shēnghuó hěn jiānkǔ.) Their life is very hard.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse the right side 艮 with 良 (liáng), which has an extra dot on top. Some also mix up 艱 with 難 (nán), which shares the left part 堇 in its older form, so check the right side carefully.
Common words with 艱
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 艱難 | jiānnán | difficult; arduous; hard | HSK 5 |
| 艱苦 | jiānkǔ | difficult; hard | HSK 5 |
| 艱辛 | jiānxīn | hardships; arduous | HSK 7-9 |
| 艱巨 | jiānjù | (of a task, mission or responsibility) extremely difficult; challenging; demanding | HSK 7-9 |
| 艱險 | jiānxiǎn | difficult and dangerous; hardships and perils | HSK 7-9 |
| 艱苦奮鬥 | jiānkǔ-fèndòu | to struggle arduously | HSK 7-9 |
Questions about 艱
How many strokes are in 艱?
艱 is written with 17 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 艱 mean?
艱 (jiān) means difficult, hard; hardship. A common word with it is 艰难 (jiānnán), meaning "difficult; arduous; hard".
How do you pronounce 艱?
艱 is pronounced jiān, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 艱?
The radical of 艱 is 艮, which carries the idea of "blunt". Dictionaries list 艱 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 艱?
艱 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 艰, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the difference between 艱難 and 艱苦?
艱難 (jiānnán) stresses that something is difficult to do or get through, like a hard situation or decision. 艱苦 (jiānkǔ) stresses harsh, bitter living or working conditions. You would say 艱苦的環境 for a tough environment and 艱難的選擇 for a hard choice.
How is 艱巨 used differently from other 艱 words?
艱巨 (jiānjù) is used for large tasks, missions, or responsibilities that are very demanding. It usually goes with words like 任務 (rènwu), as in 艱巨的任務, a formidable task. It is not used to describe a person's daily life.