鑑 meaning and stroke order
Mirror, looking glass; to reflect
How to write 鑑, stroke by stroke
22 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 鑑
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- bronze mirror (used in ancient times)
- to reflect
- to mirror
- sth that serves as a warning or a lesson
- to examine
- to scrutinize
How 鑑 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Metal.
釒 gives the meaning and 監 hints at the sound.
Radical: 釒 (gold), shared by 135 characters on this site.
How to remember 鑑
The metal radical 釒 plus 監 (jiān, to oversee) gives the sound and the idea: a polished metal surface you look into to watch yourself. Ancient mirrors were bronze, so think of a bronze plate that lets you inspect your own face.
Today 鑑 is mostly used in compounds about examining or learning from something, such as 鉴定 (jiàndìng, to appraise) and 年鉴 (niánjiàn, yearbook). It is the traditional form; mainland China writes 鉴. Example: 以史为鉴 (yǐ shǐ wéi jiàn), take history as a mirror, meaning learn from history.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 鑑 with 監/监 (jiān, to supervise), which lacks the metal radical and has a first tone. Also note 鉴 is fourth tone jiàn, not jiān.
Common words with 鑑
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
Questions about 鑑
How many strokes are in 鑑?
鑑 is written with 22 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 鑑 mean?
鑑 (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 鑑?
鑑 is pronounced jiàn, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 鑑?
The radical of 鑑 is 釒, which carries the idea of "gold". Dictionaries list 鑑 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 鑑?
鑑 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 鉴, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What does 借鉴 (jièjiàn) mean?
借鉴 means to draw on or learn from someone else's experience or method. For example, 借鉴别人的经验 (jièjiàn biérén de jīngyàn) means to learn from other people's experience.
Is 鑑 still used to mean a physical mirror?
Rarely. In modern Chinese a mirror is 镜子 (jìngzi). The mirror sense of 鑑 survives mainly in fixed phrases and in the figurative idea of something serving as a lesson or warning.