馴 meaning and stroke order
Tame, obedient, docile
How to write 馴, stroke by stroke
13 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 馴
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to attain gradually
- to tame
- Taiwan pr. [xun2]
How 馴 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Horse.
馬 gives the meaning and 川 hints at the sound.
Radical: 馬 (horse), shared by 47 characters on this site.
How to remember 馴
馴 combines 馬 (mǎ, horse) with 川 (chuān, river), which gives the sound. Picture a wild horse whose energy has been guided into a calm, steady flow like a river, and you have a tamed horse.
馴 is the traditional form of 驯 and is mostly used in words about taming animals or being docile. In mainland Mandarin it is read xùn, while Taiwan commonly reads it xún. Example: 他是一位馴獸師。(Tā shì yí wèi xùnshòushī.) He is an animal trainer.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 馴 with 訓 (xùn, to teach, to train), since both share 川 and the same sound. Use 馬 for taming animals, as in 馴服 (xùnfú), and 言 for instructing people, as in 訓練 (xùnliàn).
Common words with 馴
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 馴鹿 | xùnlù | reindeer | |
| 馴服 | xùnfú | to tame; tame | |
| 馴獸師 | xùnshòushī | animal trainer; tamer |
Questions about 馴
How many strokes are in 馴?
馴 is written with 13 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 馴 mean?
馴 (xún) means tame, obedient, docile. A common word with it is 驯鹿 (xùnlù), meaning "reindeer".
How do you pronounce 馴?
馴 is pronounced xún, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 馴?
The radical of 馴 is 馬, which carries the idea of "horse". Dictionaries list 馴 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 馴?
馴 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 驯, used in mainland China and Singapore.
Why is 馴 read xún in some dictionaries and xùn in others?
The standard mainland reading is xùn, fourth tone. In Taiwan the common pronunciation is xún, second tone. Both refer to the same character and meaning.
Can 馴 describe people, not just animals?
Yes. 馴服 (xùnfú) and 溫馴 (wēnxùn) can describe a docile, obedient person or temperament. In this use the tone is often slightly negative, suggesting someone overly submissive.