鉴 meaning and stroke order
Mirror, looking glass; to reflect
How to write 鉴, 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 鉴
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- variant of 鑑|鉴[jian4]
- old variant of 鑒|鉴[jian4]
- bronze mirror (used in ancient times)
- to reflect
- to mirror
- sth that serves as a warning or a lesson
How 鉴 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Metal.
金 gives the meaning.
Radical: 金 (gold), shared by 18 characters on this site.
How to remember 鉴
The bottom part is 金 (jīn), metal, because the earliest mirrors were polished bronze. Picture someone bending over a shiny metal plate on the floor to look at their reflection, and you have 鉴 (jiàn).
Today 鉴 rarely means a physical mirror. It appears in words about examining, judging, or learning from something, like 鉴定 (jiàndìng, to appraise), 借鉴 (jièjiàn, to learn from), and the formal 鉴于 (jiànyú, in view of). Example: 我们可以借鉴他们的经验。(Wǒmen kěyǐ jièjiàn tāmen de jīngyàn.) We can learn from their experience.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 鉴 (jiàn) with 签 (qiān, to sign) because the top halves look alike. Remember that 鉴 has 金 (metal) at the bottom, while 签 has the bamboo radical ⺮ on top.
Common words with 鉴
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 鉴定 | jiàndìng | to examine sth to determine its authenticity, quality, value etc; to appraise; to evaluate | HSK 6 |
| 借鉴 | jièjiàn | to draw on (others' experience); to learn from (how others do things) | HSK 6 |
| 鉴于 | jiànyú | in view of; seeing that | HSK 7-9 |
| 鉴别 | jiànbié | to differentiate; to distinguish | HSK 7-9 |
| 鉴赏 | jiànshǎng | to appreciate (as a connoisseur) | HSK 7-9 |
| 鉴证 | jiànzhèng | appraisal; verification | |
| 年鉴 | niánjiàn | annual report; yearbook |
鉴 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 鉴
How many strokes are in 鉴?
鉴 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 鉴 mean?
鉴 (jiàn) means mirror, looking glass; to reflect. A common word with it is 鉴定 (jiàndìng), meaning "to examine sth to determine its authenticity, quality, value etc; to appraise; to evaluate".
How do you pronounce 鉴?
鉴 is pronounced jiàn, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 鉴?
The radical of 鉴 is 金, which carries the idea of "gold". Dictionaries list 鉴 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 鉴?
The traditional form of 鉴 is 鋻, 鍳, 鑑 and 鑒. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 鉴 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 鉴 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 鉴 is part of the HSK 6 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What does 以史为鉴 mean?
以史为鉴 (yǐ shǐ wéi jiàn) means to take history as a mirror, that is, to learn lessons from the past. It shows the sense of 鉴 as something that serves as a warning or lesson.
Is 鉴于 used in everyday speech?
Not much. 鉴于 (jiànyú) is formal and appears mainly in writing, notices, and official speech, for example 鉴于天气原因 (jiànyú tiānqì yuányīn), in view of the weather. In casual talk people usually say 因为 (yīnwèi) instead.