鈞 meaning and stroke order
Unit of weight equal to thirty catties; your (formal)
How to write 鈞, 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 鈞
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- 30 catties
- great
- your (honorific)
How 鈞 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Gold.
釒 gives the meaning and 匀 hints at the sound.
Radical: 釒 (gold), shared by 135 characters on this site.
How to remember 鈞
鈞 is metal 釒 (the gold radical) plus 匀 (yún), which gives the sound. Picture a heavy lump of metal weighed out evenly, a big standard weight of thirty catties.
Today 鈞 (simplified 钧) mostly appears in set phrases and very formal letters, where it means "your" when addressing a superior. The best known word is 千钧一发 (qiānjūn-yīfà), meaning a moment hanging by a thread: 情况千钧一发。(Qíngkuàng qiānjūn-yīfà.) The situation was extremely critical.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 钧 (jūn) with 均 (jūn, even, equal), which has the earth radical 土 and the same phonetic 匀. In 千钧一发 you need the metal radical, because the idiom is about weight.
Common words with 鈞
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 千鈞一髮 | qiānjūn-yīfà | (lit.) a thousand pounds hangs by a thread (idiom); (fig.) (at the) critical; perilous (mo | HSK 7-9 |
Questions about 鈞
How many strokes are in 鈞?
鈞 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 鈞 mean?
鈞 (jūn) means unit of weight equal to thirty catties; your (formal). A common word with it is 千钧一发 (qiānjūn-yīfà), meaning "(lit.) a thousand pounds hangs by a thread (idiom); (fig.) (at the) critical; perilous (mo".
How do you pronounce 鈞?
鈞 is pronounced jūn, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 鈞?
The radical of 鈞 is 釒, which carries the idea of "gold". Dictionaries list 鈞 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 鈞?
鈞 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 钧, used in mainland China and Singapore.
How is 鈞 used as an honorific in letters?
In formal or official writing it appears before words related to the reader, as in 钧鉴 (jūnjiàn), a polite opening meaning roughly "for your esteemed attention." It shows deep respect and is rare in everyday messages.
How heavy is one 鈞 in modern terms?
The dictionary defines one 鈞 as thirty catties (斤). It is a traditional unit, so in modern Chinese it survives mainly in idioms rather than in actual measurement.