驯 meaning and stroke order
To attain gradually; to tame; Taiwan pr. [xun2]
How to write 驯, stroke by stroke
6 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 驯
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to attain gradually
- to tame
- Taiwan pr. [xun2]
How 驯 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Horse.
马 gives the meaning and 川 hints at the sound.
Radical: 马 (horse), shared by 54 characters on this site.
How to remember 驯
驯 combines 马 (horse), the meaning part, with 川 (chuān, river), which hints at the sound. Picture a wild horse calmed until it moves as smoothly as a flowing river.
驯 is mostly used in words about taming animals or making someone submissive, such as 驯服 (xùnfú) and 驯兽师 (xùnshòushī). It also appears in 驯鹿 (xùnlù), reindeer. Example: 这匹马很难驯服。(Zhè pǐ mǎ hěn nán xùnfú.) This horse is hard to tame.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 驯 with 训 (xùn, to teach or train), which has the same sound but uses the speech radical 讠. Use 驯 for taming animals or wild nature, and 训 for training people, as in 训练 (xùnliàn).
Common words with 驯
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 驯鹿 | xùnlù | reindeer | |
| 驯服 | xùnfú | to tame; tame | |
| 驯兽师 | xùnshòushī | animal trainer; tamer |
驯 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 驯
How many strokes are in 驯?
驯 is written with 6 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 驯 mean?
驯 (xùn) means to attain gradually; to tame; Taiwan pr. [xun2]. A common word with it is 驯鹿 (xùnlù), meaning "reindeer".
How do you pronounce 驯?
驯 has more than one reading: xùn and xún. The most common is xùn, said in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 驯?
The radical of 驯 is 马, which carries the idea of "horse". Dictionaries list 驯 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 驯?
The traditional form of 驯 is 馴. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 驯 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 驯 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 驯 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Should I say xùn or xún for 驯?
In mainland Mandarin the standard reading is xùn, with the fourth tone. The reading xún is the Taiwan pronunciation listed in the dictionary. If you are learning mainland Mandarin, use xùn.
Can 驯 describe a person's personality?
Yes, in words like 温驯 (wēnxùn), meaning meek or docile. It is more often used for animals, though, and calling a person 驯 can sound like they are too submissive.