館 meaning and stroke order
Public building; shop, house, establishment
How to write 館, stroke by stroke
16 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 館
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- building
- shop
- term for certain service establishments
- embassy or consulate
- schoolroom (old)
How 館 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A public 官 building where food 飠 is served; 官 also provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 飠 (food), shared by 44 characters on this site.
How to remember 館
館 puts the food radical 飠 next to 官 (guān, official). Picture an official public building where travelers are served food, which is why 館 means a hall or establishment, and 官 gives it the sound guǎn.
館 rarely stands alone in modern speech. It mostly appears as the last syllable of words for buildings and service places, like libraries, museums, restaurants and embassies. Example: 我們去飯館吃飯吧。(Wǒmen qù fànguǎn chīfàn ba.) Let's go eat at a restaurant.
Common mistake: Learners often write 管 (guǎn, to manage; tube) instead of 館, since both are pronounced guǎn and share 官. Remember that 管 has the bamboo top ⺮, while 館 has the food radical 飠 on the left. Also note the tone is third tone guǎn, not first tone like 官 (guān).
Common words with 館
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 圖書館 | túshūguǎn | library | HSK 1 |
| 體育館 | tǐyùguǎn | gym; gymnasium | HSK 2 |
| 飯館 | fànguǎn | restaurant | HSK 2 |
| 旅館 | lǚguǎn | hotel | HSK 3 |
| 大使館 | dàshǐguǎn | embassy | HSK 3 |
| 餐館 | cānguǎn | restaurant | HSK 5 |
| 博物館 | bówùguǎn | museum | HSK 5 |
| 賓館 | bīnguǎn | guesthouse; lodge | HSK 5 |
| 場館 | chǎngguǎn | sporting venue; arena | HSK 6 |
| 領事館 | lǐngshìguǎn | consulate | HSK 7-9 |
| 紀念館 | jìniànguǎn | memorial museum; memorial hall | HSK 7-9 |
| 茶館兒 | cháguǎnr | erhua form of 茶館|茶馆[cha2 guan3] | HSK 7-9 |
| 汽車旅館 | qìchēlǚguǎn | motel | |
| 咖啡館 | kāfēiguǎn | café; coffee shop |
Questions about 館
How many strokes are in 館?
館 is written with 16 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 館 mean?
館 (guǎn) means public building; shop, house, establishment. A common word with it is 图书馆 (túshūguǎn), meaning "library".
How do you pronounce 館?
館 is pronounced guǎn, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 館?
The radical of 館 is 飠, which carries the idea of "food". Dictionaries list 館 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 館?
館 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 馆, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the difference between 館 and 馆?
They are the same character. 館 is the traditional form used in Taiwan and Hong Kong, and 馆 is the simplified form used in mainland China. The left side 飠 is simplified to 饣.
Is 宾馆 the same as 旅馆?
Both are places to stay. 宾馆 (bīnguǎn) usually sounds more formal and suggests a larger hotel or guesthouse, while 旅馆 (lǚguǎn) often suggests a simpler, smaller inn. For a big modern hotel, people also say 酒店 (jiǔdiàn).