荐 meaning and stroke order
To recommend; to recur, to repeat
How to write 荐, stroke by stroke
9 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
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
Meaning of 荐
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to recommend
- to offer sacrifice (arch.)
- grass
- straw mat
How 荐 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A perennial; grass 艹 that survives 存 year-after-year.
Radical: 艹 (grass), shared by 421 characters on this site.
How to remember 荐
荐 is grass 艹 on top of 存 (cún, to survive). Picture grass that survives year after year, so good it keeps coming back, and you would recommend it to anyone.
In modern Chinese 荐 almost always appears in compounds, most often 推荐 (tuījiàn, to recommend). 引荐 (yǐnjiàn) is more formal and means introducing someone to a person who can help them. Example: 你能推荐一本书吗？(Nǐ néng tuījiàn yì běn shū ma?) Can you recommend a book?
Common mistake: Learners often write 荐 as 存 or drop the grass top, or confuse it with 存 (cún) when reading. Remember the tone too: 荐 is fourth tone jiàn, not first tone jiān like 尖.
Common words with 荐
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 推荐 | tuījiàn | to recommend | HSK 7-9 |
| 推荐信 | tuījiànxìn | recommendation letter | |
| 引荐 | yǐnjiàn | to recommend sb; to give a referral |
荐 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 荐
How many strokes are in 荐?
荐 is written with 9 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 荐 mean?
荐 (jiàn) means to recommend; to recur, to repeat. A common word with it is 推荐 (tuījiàn), meaning "to recommend".
How do you pronounce 荐?
荐 is pronounced jiàn, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 荐?
The radical of 荐 is 艹, which carries the idea of "grass". Dictionaries list 荐 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 荐?
The traditional form of 荐 is 薦. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 荐 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 荐 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 荐 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Can 荐 be used alone to mean recommend?
Not usually in everyday speech. People say 推荐 (tuījiàn) instead. Alone, 荐 sounds literary or old-fashioned.
What is the difference between 推荐 and 介绍?
推荐 (tuījiàn) means you suggest something or someone because you think it is good. 介绍 (jièshào) simply means to introduce or explain, without necessarily praising.