顽 meaning and stroke order
Stubborn, recalcitrant, obstinate
How to write 顽, 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.
- 1
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- 10
Meaning of 顽
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- mischievous
- obstinate
- to play
- stupid
- stubborn
- naughty
How 顽 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Head.
页 gives the meaning and 元 hints at the sound.
Radical: 页 (page), shared by 39 characters on this site.
How to remember 顽
顽 combines 元 (yuán), which gives the sound, with 页 (yè), which means head. Picture a hard head that will not change its mind, and you have stubborn.
顽 rarely stands alone and usually appears in two-character words. 顽皮 (wánpí) describes playful, naughty kids, 顽固 (wángù) is negative and means rigidly stubborn, and 顽强 (wánqiáng) is positive and means tenacious. Example: 这个孩子很顽皮。(Zhège háizi hěn wánpí.) This child is very naughty.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 顽 (wán) with 玩 (wán, to play), since both share 元 and the same sound. Write 玩 with the jade radical 王 for playing a game, and 顽 with 页 for stubborn or naughty, as in 顽皮 rather than 玩皮.
Common words with 顽
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
顽 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 顽
How many strokes are in 顽?
顽 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 顽 mean?
顽 (wán) means stubborn, recalcitrant, obstinate. A common word with it is 顽强 (wánqiáng), meaning "tenacious; hard to defeat".
How do you pronounce 顽?
顽 is pronounced wán, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 顽?
The radical of 顽 is 页, which carries the idea of "page". Dictionaries list 顽 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 顽?
The traditional form of 顽 is 頑. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 顽 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 顽 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 顽 is part of the HSK 6 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Is 顽 a positive or negative word?
It depends on the word. 顽强 (wánqiáng) praises someone for being tough and persistent, while 顽固 (wángù) and 老顽固 (lǎowángù) criticize someone for refusing to change. 顽皮 (wánpí) is mild and often affectionate.
What is the difference between 顽皮 and 调皮?
Both mean naughty or mischievous and are often used for children. 调皮 (tiáopí) is more common in everyday speech, while 顽皮 sounds slightly more written.