鑒 meaning and stroke order
Mirror, looking glass; to reflect
How to write 鑒, 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 鑒
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- variant of 鑑|鉴[jian4]
How 鑒 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Metal.
金 gives the meaning and 監 hints at the sound.
Radical: 金 (gold), shared by 18 characters on this site.
How to remember 鑒
Picture 監 (jiān, to watch over) sitting on top of 金 (jīn, metal). Ancient mirrors were polished metal, so you watch yourself in metal: 鑒 (jiàn), a mirror, to reflect.
鑒 is the traditional form of 鉴, and 鑑 is another variant with the same meaning. Today it mostly appears in words about learning from examples or judging, such as 借鑒 (jièjiàn) and 鑒於 (jiànyú). Example: 我們可以借鑒他們的經驗。(Wǒmen kěyǐ jièjiàn tāmen de jīngyàn.) We can learn from their experience.
Common mistake: Learners often write the top part as 臣 alone or confuse 鑒 with 監 (jiān), which has no 金 underneath and means to supervise. Also note the tone: 鑒 is fourth tone jiàn, while 監 is usually first tone jiān.
Common words with 鑒
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
Questions about 鑒
How many strokes are in 鑒?
鑒 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 鑒 mean?
鑒 (jiàn) means mirror, looking glass; to reflect. A common word with it is 借鉴 (jièjiàn), meaning "to draw on (others' experience); to learn from (how others do things)".
How do you pronounce 鑒?
鑒 is pronounced jiàn, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 鑒?
The radical of 鑒 is 金, which carries the idea of "gold". Dictionaries list 鑒 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 鑒?
鑒 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 鉴, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the difference between 鑒, 鑑 and 鉴?
They are the same word jiàn. 鉴 is the simplified form used in mainland China, while 鑒 and 鑑 are traditional variants that differ only in where the metal component 金 is placed.
Does 鑒 still mean a physical mirror in modern Chinese?
Rarely. The everyday word for mirror is 镜子 (jìngzi). 鑒 now mostly carries the figurative sense of reflecting on something or using it as a lesson, as in 前車之鑒 (qián chē zhī jiàn), a lesson from others' mistakes.