鍊 meaning and stroke order
Smelt metals, forge; refine
How to write 鍊, stroke by stroke
17 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 14
- 15
- 16
- 17
Meaning of 鍊
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- variant of 鏈|链[lian4], chain
- variant of 煉|炼[lian4]
How 鍊 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Metal.
釒 gives the meaning and 柬 hints at the sound.
Radical: 釒 (gold), shared by 135 characters on this site.
How to remember 鍊
The metal side 釒 tells you this is about metal, and 柬 (jiǎn) gives the sound, close to liàn. Picture a smith working metal 釒 over and over until it is refined.
鍊 is a traditional character used as a variant of 煉 (炼, to smelt or refine) and of 鏈 (链, chain). In Taiwan you will see it in words like 鍛鍊 (duànliàn) and 項鍊 (xiàngliàn, necklace). Example: 我每天鍛鍊身體。 (Wǒ měitiān duànliàn shēntǐ.) I exercise every day.
Common mistake: Learners mix up 鍊 with 煉, which uses the fire radical 火 instead of metal 釒. Both are read liàn and often overlap, but the simplified forms differ: 炼 for refining and 链 for chain.
Common words with 鍊
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 鍛鍊 | duànliàn | to toughen; to temper | HSK 4 |
Questions about 鍊
How many strokes are in 鍊?
鍊 is written with 17 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 鍊 mean?
鍊 (liàn) means smelt metals, forge; refine. A common word with it is 锻炼 (duànliàn), meaning "to toughen; to temper".
How do you pronounce 鍊?
鍊 is pronounced liàn, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 鍊?
The radical of 鍊 is 釒, which carries the idea of "gold". Dictionaries list 鍊 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 鍊?
鍊 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 炼, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the simplified form of 鍊?
It depends on the meaning. When it means to smelt or temper, it simplifies to 炼. When it means chain, it simplifies to 链.
Is 鍛鍊 or 鍛煉 correct?
Both forms appear in traditional Chinese, and 鍛鍊 is very common in Taiwan. In simplified Chinese the word is always written 锻炼 (duànliàn).