設 meaning and stroke order
To build, to design; to establish; to offer
How to write 設, stroke by stroke
11 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 設
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to set up; to put in place
- (math.) given; suppose; if
How 設 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Speech.
言 gives the meaning and 殳 hints at the sound.
Radical: 言 (words), shared by 155 characters on this site.
How to remember 設
設 combines 言 (speech) on the left with 殳 on the right, which gives the sound. Picture someone using words to lay out a plan before anything is built: you speak it, then you set it up.
設 is the traditional form of 设 and appears mostly in compound words about planning, setting up, or installing, such as 設計 (shèjì, to design) and 設備 (shèbèi, equipment). In math and logic it can mean "suppose" or "given". Example: 這座橋是他設計的。(Zhè zuò qiáo shì tā shèjì de.) This bridge was designed by him.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 設 with 投 (tóu, to throw), since both have 殳 or a similar right side, but 設 has the speech radical 言 on the left and 投 has the hand radical 扌. Also remember the tone is fourth tone, shè, not shé.
Common words with 設
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 設計 | shèjì | to design; to plan; design; plan | HSK 3 |
| 設備 | shèbèi | equipment; facilities; installations | HSK 3 |
| 建設 | jiànshè | to build; to construct; to establish; to develop; to institute | HSK 3 |
| 設立 | shèlì | to set up; to establish | HSK 3 |
| 設置 | shèzhì | to set up; to install | HSK 4 |
| 設施 | shèshī | facilities; installation | HSK 4 |
| 設想 | shèxiǎng | to imagine; to assume | HSK 5 |
| 設計師 | shèjìshī | designer; architect | HSK 6 |
| 開設 | kāishè | to offer (goods or services); to open (for business etc) | HSK 6 |
| 假設 | jiǎshè | to suppose; to presume | HSK 7-9 |
| 設法 | shèfǎ | to try; to make an attempt | HSK 7-9 |
| 設定 | shèdìng | to set (a goal, rule, limit, parameter etc); to specify; (computing) settings | HSK 7-9 |
| 想方設法 | xiǎngfāng-shèfǎ | to think up every possible method (idiom); to devise ways and means; to try this, that and | HSK 7-9 |
| 擺設 | bǎishe | to set out; to display | HSK 7-9 |
Questions about 設
How many strokes are in 設?
設 is written with 11 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 設 mean?
設 (shè) means to build, to design; to establish; to offer. A common word with it is 设计 (shèjì), meaning "to design; to plan; design; plan".
How do you pronounce 設?
設 is pronounced shè, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 設?
The radical of 設 is 言, which carries the idea of "words". Dictionaries list 設 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 設?
設 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 设, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the difference between 設立 and 建設?
設立 (shèlì) means to set up or found something like an organization, office, or fund. 建設 (jiànshè) means to build or develop on a larger scale, such as a city, a country, or infrastructure.
How do you use 設 to mean "suppose" in math?
In math problems 設 introduces an assumption or variable, like 設 x 為 5 (shè x wéi wǔ), meaning "let x be 5". It works like the English words "let" or "suppose" at the start of a solution.