閃 meaning and stroke order
Flash, lightning; to dodge, to evade
How to write 閃, stroke by stroke
10 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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- 10
Meaning of 閃
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to dodge
- to duck out of the way
- to beat it
- shaken (by a fall)
- to sprain
- to pull a muscle
How 閃 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A man 人 just glimpsed through a door 門.
Radical: 門 (gate), shared by 42 characters on this site.
How to remember 閃
Picture a person 人 darting past an open door 門. You only catch a flash of them before they dodge out of sight, which is why 閃 (shǎn) means both a flash and to dodge.
閃 is the traditional form; mainland China writes it 闪. It appears in words about light, like 閃電 (shǎndiàn, lightning) and 閃光 (shǎnguāng, flash), and in words about quick movement, like 閃開 (shǎnkāi, get out of the way). Example: 快閃開。(Kuài shǎnkāi.) Get out of the way, quick.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 閃 with 問 (wèn, to ask), which has 口 inside the door instead of 人. Also keep the third tone: shǎn, not shān.
Common words with 閃
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 閃電 | shǎndiàn | lightning | HSK 4 |
| 閃爍 | shǎnshuò | to glisten; to glitter; to twinkle; to flicker; to be evasive; to equivocate | HSK 7-9 |
| 閃開 | shǎnkāi | to get out of the way | |
| 閃耀 | shǎnyào | to glint; to glitter | |
| 閃亮 | shǎnliàng | brilliant; shiny | |
| 閃光 | shǎnguāng | flash | |
| 閃人 | shǎnrén | (coll.) to beat it; to take French leave | |
| 閃光燈 | shǎnguāngdēng | flash bulb (photography) | |
| 閃過 | shǎnguò | to flash through (one's mind); to dodge (away from pursuers) | |
| 閃閃 | shǎnshǎn | flickering; sparkling; glistening; glittering | |
| 閃現 | shǎnxiàn | to flash | |
| 閃失 | shǎnshī | mishap; accident | |
| 閃避 | shǎnbì | to dodge; to sidestep |
Questions about 閃
How many strokes are in 閃?
閃 is written with 10 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 閃 mean?
閃 (shǎn) means flash, lightning; to dodge, to evade. A common word with it is 闪电 (shǎndiàn), meaning "lightning".
How do you pronounce 閃?
閃 is pronounced shǎn, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 閃?
The radical of 閃 is 門, which carries the idea of "gate". Dictionaries list 閃 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 閃?
閃 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 闪, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What does 閃人 mean in slang?
閃人 (shǎnrén) is colloquial for leaving quickly, like saying "I'm out" or "let's bounce." For example, 我先閃人了 (Wǒ xiān shǎnrén le) means "I'm heading off now."
Can 閃 describe an injury?
Yes. 閃 can mean to sprain or pull a muscle with a sudden wrong movement. A common phrase is 閃了腰 (shǎn le yāo), "to wrench your back."