险 meaning and stroke order
Danger; dangerous; rugged
How to write 险, stroke by stroke
9 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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- 9
Meaning of 险
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- danger
- dangerous
- rugged
How 险 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Hill.
阝 gives the meaning and 佥 hints at the sound.
Radical: 阝 (place), shared by 160 characters on this site.
How to remember 险
The left side 阝 is a hill, and 佥 (qiān) gives the sound. Picture a steep hill with a narrow pass where travelers face danger, and you have 险 (xiǎn).
险 rarely stands alone in modern speech. It mostly appears in words like 危险 (wēixiǎn), 风险 (fēngxiǎn) and 保险 (bǎoxiǎn). Example: 这里很危险。(Zhèlǐ hěn wēixiǎn.) It is very dangerous here.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 险 with 脸 (liǎn, face) and 检 (jiǎn, to check), which share the same right side 佥. Remember that 险 has the hill 阝, 脸 has the body part 月, and 检 has wood 木.
Common words with 险
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 危险 | wēixiǎn | danger; dangerous | HSK 3 |
| 保险 | bǎoxiǎn | insurance; to insure | HSK 3 |
| 风险 | fēngxiǎn | risk; hazard | HSK 3 |
| 冒险 | màoxiǎn | to take risks; to take chances | HSK 7-9 |
| 探险 | tànxiǎn | to explore; to go on an expedition | HSK 7-9 |
| 惊险 | jīngxiǎn | perilous; touch-and-go; nerve-racking; suspenseful | HSK 7-9 |
| 艰险 | jiānxiǎn | difficult and dangerous; hardships and perils | HSK 7-9 |
| 遇险 | yùxiǎn | to get into difficulties; to meet with danger | HSK 7-9 |
| 化险为夷 | huàxiǎnwéiyí | to turn peril into safety (idiom); to avert disaster | HSK 7-9 |
| 保险箱 | bǎoxiǎnxiāng | safe deposit box; safe | |
| 生命危险 | shēngmìngwēixiǎn | risk to one's life | |
| 保险柜 | bǎoxiǎnguì | a safe; strongbox | |
| 险境 | xiǎnjìng | critical circumstances; risky conditions | |
| 探险家 | tànxiǎnjiā | explorer |
险 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 险
How many strokes are in 险?
险 is written with 9 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 险 mean?
险 (xiǎn) means danger; dangerous; rugged. A common word with it is 危险 (wēixiǎn), meaning "danger; dangerous".
How do you pronounce 险?
险 is pronounced xiǎn, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 险?
The radical of 险 is 阝, which carries the idea of "place". Dictionaries list 险 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 险?
The traditional form of 险 is 險. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 险 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 险 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 险 is part of the HSK 3 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
Why does 保险 mean insurance when 险 means danger?
保 (bǎo) means to protect, so 保险 is literally protection against danger or risk. It can also mean safe or secure, as in 这样比较保险 (zhèyàng bǐjiào bǎoxiǎn), this way is safer.
What does 好险 mean?
好险 (hǎo xiǎn) is a common spoken exclamation meaning that was close, or phew, a near miss. People say it right after barely avoiding trouble.