贩 meaning and stroke order
Merchant, peddler; to deal in, to trade
How to write 贩, stroke by stroke
8 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 贩
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to deal in
- to buy and sell
- to trade in
- to retail
- to peddle
How 贩 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Money.
贝 gives the meaning and 反 hints at the sound.
Radical: 贝 (sea shell), shared by 63 characters on this site.
How to remember 贩
贩 (fàn) puts 贝 (bèi, shell, an old symbol for money) next to 反 (fǎn), which gives the sound. Picture a peddler turning money over and over, buying and selling for a living.
贩 is rarely used alone today. It mostly appears in words like 小贩 (xiǎofàn, hawker), 商贩 (shāngfàn, trader) and 贩卖 (fànmài, to sell). Example: 街上有很多小贩。(Jiē shang yǒu hěn duō xiǎofàn.) There are many street vendors on the street.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 贩 (fàn, fourth tone) with its phonetic part 反 (fǎn, third tone), or with 饭 (fàn, rice), which uses the food radical 饣 instead of 贝. Remember that 贝 means money and trade, and 饣 means eating.
Common words with 贩
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
贩 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 贩
How many strokes are in 贩?
贩 is written with 8 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 贩 mean?
贩 (fàn) means merchant, peddler; to deal in, to trade. A common word with it is 贩卖 (fànmài), meaning "to sell; to peddle".
How do you pronounce 贩?
贩 is pronounced fàn, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 贩?
The radical of 贩 is 贝, which carries the idea of "sea shell". Dictionaries list 贩 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 贩?
The traditional form of 贩 is 販. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 贩 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 贩 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 贩 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Does 贩 have a negative meaning?
It can. 贩子 (fànzi) and 贩卖 (fànmài) often suggest shady or illegal trade, as in 人贩子 (rénfànzi, human trafficker) and 毒贩 (dúfàn, drug dealer). 小贩 (xiǎofàn) for street vendors is neutral.
Is 贩卖机 the normal word for vending machine?
贩卖机 (fànmàijī) is common in Taiwan. In mainland China people usually say 自动售货机 (zìdòng shòuhuòjī) or simply 售货机 (shòuhuòjī).