鉗 meaning and stroke order
Pincers, pliers, tongs; to compress
How to write 鉗, stroke by stroke
13 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 鉗
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- pincers
- pliers
- tongs
- claw (of animal)
- to grasp with pincers
- to pinch
How 鉗 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Metal.
釒 gives the meaning and 甘 hints at the sound.
Radical: 釒 (gold), shared by 135 characters on this site.
How to remember 鉗
The metal side 釒 tells you this is a metal tool, and 甘 (gān) on the right gives the sound qián. Picture a metal tool clamping down on something like a mouth holding a sweet 甘 tightly.
鉗 appears most often in 钳子 (qiánzi), the everyday word for pliers, and in tool names like 老虎钳 (lǎohǔqián) for heavy pliers or a vise. It can also be a verb meaning to grip or pinch, and it describes the claws of crabs and similar animals. Example: 把钳子递给我。(Bǎ qiánzi dì gěi wǒ.) Pass me the pliers.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes confuse 鉗 with 钻 (zuàn, drill) or 铅 (qiān, lead) because they share the metal radical and similar sounds. Remember that 鉗 has 甘 on the right and is second tone qián, while 铅 is first tone qiān.
Common words with 鉗
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 鉗子 | qiánzi | pliers; pincers | HSK 7-9 |
Questions about 鉗
How many strokes are in 鉗?
鉗 is written with 13 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 鉗 mean?
鉗 (qián) means pincers, pliers, tongs; to compress. A common word with it is 钳子 (qiánzi), meaning "pliers; pincers".
How do you pronounce 鉗?
鉗 is pronounced qián, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 鉗?
The radical of 鉗 is 釒, which carries the idea of "gold". Dictionaries list 鉗 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 鉗?
鉗 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 钳, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the difference between 鉗 and 钳?
They are the same character. 鉗 is the form used in Taiwan and Hong Kong, and 钳 is the simplified form used in mainland China, where the metal radical is written 钅.
How do you say crab claw in Chinese?
You can say 蟹钳 (xièqián) or 螃蟹的钳子 (pángxiè de qiánzi). Here 钳 refers to the pincer-like claw of the animal.