谦 meaning and stroke order
Humble, modest
How to write 谦, stroke by stroke
12 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 谦
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- modest
How 谦 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Speech.
讠 gives the meaning and 兼 hints at the sound.
Radical: 讠 (words), shared by 144 characters on this site.
How to remember 谦
谦 combines 讠 (speech) with 兼 (jiān), which gives the sound. Think of a modest person whose speech, 讠, is always humble and polite.
谦 rarely stands alone and usually appears in words like 谦虚 (qiānxū) and 谦逊 (qiānxùn). 谦虚 is very common when praising someone's attitude or politely deflecting a compliment. Example: 他很谦虚。(Tā hěn qiānxū.) He is very modest.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 谦 with 歉 (qiàn), as in 抱歉 (bàoqiàn, sorry). Both use 兼, but 歉 has 欠 on the right and a fourth tone, while 谦 has 讠 on the left and a first tone.
Common words with 谦
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
谦 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 谦
How many strokes are in 谦?
谦 is written with 12 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 谦 mean?
谦 (qiān) means humble, modest. A common word with it is 谦虚 (qiānxū), meaning "modest; self-effacing".
How do you pronounce 谦?
谦 is pronounced qiān, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 谦?
The radical of 谦 is 讠, which carries the idea of "words". Dictionaries list 谦 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 谦?
The traditional form of 谦 is 謙. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 谦 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 谦 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 谦 is part of the HSK 6 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 谦虚 and 谦卑?
谦虚 (qiānxū) is the everyday word for modest and is generally positive. 谦卑 (qiānbēi) means humble in a lower, more self-abasing way and sounds more formal or literary.
How do Chinese speakers respond politely to a compliment?
A common modest reply is 哪里哪里 (nǎlǐ nǎlǐ) or 过奖了 (guòjiǎng le), meaning you flatter me. People may then say 你太谦虚了 (nǐ tài qiānxū le), you are too modest.