讪 meaning and stroke order
To abuse, to slander, to vilify; to ridicule
How to write 讪, stroke by stroke
5 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
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- 4
- 5
Meaning of 讪
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to mock
- to ridicule
- to slander
How 讪 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Speech.
讠 gives the meaning and 山 hints at the sound.
Radical: 讠 (words), shared by 144 characters on this site.
How to remember 讪
讪 combines the speech radical 讠 with 山 (shān), which gives the sound. Picture words piled up like a mountain against someone, words of mockery and ridicule.
In modern Chinese 讪 rarely stands alone and mostly appears in set words. The most common is 搭讪 (dāshàn), to strike up a conversation with a stranger, often to flirt. Example: 他在咖啡店跟她搭讪。(Tā zài kāfēidiàn gēn tā dāshàn.) He struck up a conversation with her at the coffee shop.
Common mistake: Learners often read 讪 as shān because of the phonetic 山, but it is fourth tone, shàn. Also do not confuse it with 讽 (fěng, to satirize), which shares the speech radical and has a related meaning.
Common words with 讪
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 搭讪 | dāshàn | to hit on someone; to strike up a conversation |
讪 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 讪
How many strokes are in 讪?
讪 is written with 5 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 讪 mean?
讪 (shàn) means to abuse, to slander, to vilify; to ridicule. A common word with it is 搭讪 (dāshàn), meaning "to hit on someone; to strike up a conversation".
How do you pronounce 讪?
讪 is pronounced shàn, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 讪?
The radical of 讪 is 讠, which carries the idea of "words". Dictionaries list 讪 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 讪?
The traditional form of 讪 is 訕. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 讪 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Does 搭讪 always mean flirting?
No. 搭讪 can simply mean starting a chat with someone you do not know, or making small talk to break an awkward moment. The flirting sense is common in everyday speech but depends on context.
What does 讪讪 mean?
讪讪 (shànshàn) describes looking embarrassed or awkward, for example 讪讪地笑 (shànshàn de xiào), to give an embarrassed smile. Here the sense is awkwardness, not mockery.