赞 meaning and stroke order
To help, to support; to laud, to praise
How to write 赞, stroke by stroke
16 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 赞
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (bound form) to patronize; to support; to aid
- (bound form) to praise; to laud
- variant of 讚|赞[zan4]
- (bound form) to praise; to laud (variant of 贊|赞[zan4])
- variant of 贊|赞[zan4]
How 赞 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Money.
贝 gives the meaning and 兟 hints at the sound.
Radical: 贝 (sea shell), shared by 63 characters on this site.
How to remember 赞
Picture two people 兟 (the sound part, two 先 side by side) standing over 贝 (bèi, shell, an old symbol of money). They are bringing money to support someone, and supporting someone is a way of praising them.
赞 (zàn) rarely stands alone in formal Chinese. It mostly appears in words like 赞成 (zànchéng, to agree with), 称赞 (chēngzàn, to praise) and 赞助 (zànzhù, to sponsor). Example: 我赞成你的想法。(Wǒ zànchéng nǐ de xiǎngfǎ.) I agree with your idea.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 赞成 (zànchéng) and 赞美 (zànměi). 赞成 means you agree with an idea or plan, while 赞美 means you praise a person or thing for being good or beautiful. Also keep the fourth tone: zàn, not zān or zǎn.
Common words with 赞
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 赞成 | zànchéng | to approve of; to agree with; (literary) to help bring about | HSK 4 |
| 赞助 | zànzhù | to sponsor; to provide financial or material support | HSK 4 |
| 称赞 | chēngzàn | to praise; to commend; to compliment | HSK 4 |
| 赞赏 | zànshǎng | to admire; to praise | HSK 4 |
| 赞美 | zànměi | to admire; to praise | HSK 7-9 |
| 赞同 | zàntóng | to approve of; to agree with (an opinion, action etc); to endorse | HSK 7-9 |
| 赞扬 | zànyáng | to praise; to approve of | HSK 7-9 |
| 赞叹 | zàntàn | to exclaim in admiration | HSK 7-9 |
| 赞许 | zànxǔ | to praise; to laud | HSK 7-9 |
| 赞不绝口 | zànbùjuékǒu | (idiom) can't stop praising | HSK 7-9 |
| 赞叹不已 | zàntàn-bùyǐ | (idiom) to be full of praise and admiration; to marvel endlessly; to be in awe | HSK 7-9 |
| 赞助商 | zànzhùshāng | sponsor | |
| 赞颂 | zànsòng | to bless; to praise | |
| 赞美诗 | zànměishī | (Christianity) hymn; psalm |
赞 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 赞
Learning 赞 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 赞
How many strokes are in 赞?
赞 is written with 16 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 赞 mean?
赞 (zàn) means to help, to support; to laud, to praise. A common word with it is 赞成 (zànchéng), meaning "to approve of; to agree with; (literary) to help bring about".
How do you pronounce 赞?
赞 is pronounced zàn, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 赞?
The radical of 赞 is 贝, which carries the idea of "sea shell". Dictionaries list 赞 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 赞?
The traditional form of 赞 is 讃, 讚, 賛 and 贊. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 赞 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 赞 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 赞 is part of the HSK 4 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
What does 点赞 mean on social media?
点赞 (diǎn zàn) means to give a like, as in tapping the thumbs-up button. People also just say 赞 or 给你点个赞 (gěi nǐ diǎn ge zàn) to mean they approve of something.
What is the difference between 赞同 and 同意?
Both mean to agree. 同意 (tóngyì) is everyday and can also mean to give permission, while 赞同 (zàntóng) is more formal and stresses that you support an opinion or proposal.