验 meaning and stroke order
To examine; to test; to check
How to write 验, 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.
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Meaning of 验
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to examine
- to test
- to check
- variant of 驗|验[yan4]
How 验 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Horse.
马 gives the meaning and 佥 hints at the sound.
Radical: 马 (horse), shared by 54 characters on this site.
How to remember 验
验 is built from 马 (mǎ, horse) as the meaning part and 佥 (qiān) as the sound hint. Picture a buyer carefully inspecting a horse before paying, checking its teeth and legs to verify it is healthy.
验 rarely stands alone in everyday speech and mostly appears in two-character words like 经验 (jīngyàn, experience), 实验 (shíyàn, experiment) and 检验 (jiǎnyàn, to inspect). On its own it shows up in set phrases such as 验血 (yàn xiě, blood test). Example: 他很有经验。(Tā hěn yǒu jīngyàn.) He is very experienced.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 验 with 险 (xiǎn, danger) and 检 (jiǎn, to check), which share the same 佥 part. Remember that 验 has the horse radical 马, 险 has the mound radical 阝, and 检 has the wood radical 木.
Common words with 验
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 经验 | jīngyàn | experience; to go through; to experience | HSK 3 |
| 实验室 | shíyànshì | laboratory | HSK 3 |
| 实验 | shíyàn | experiment; test | HSK 3 |
| 体验 | tǐyàn | to experience for oneself | HSK 3 |
| 考验 | kǎoyàn | to test; to put to the test | HSK 3 |
| 试验 | shìyàn | experiment; test | HSK 3 |
| 检验 | jiǎnyàn | to inspect; to examine | HSK 5 |
| 测验 | cèyàn | test; to test | HSK 7-9 |
| 化验 | huàyàn | chemical examination; to do a lab test | HSK 7-9 |
| 验证 | yànzhèng | to inspect and verify; experimental verification | HSK 7-9 |
| 验收 | yànshōu | to inspect and accept; acceptance | HSK 7-9 |
| 验尸 | yànshī | autopsy; postmortem examination | |
| 验尸官 | yànshīguān | coroner | |
| 经验丰富 | jīngyànfēngfù | experienced; with ample experience |
验 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 验
How many strokes are in 验?
验 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 验 mean?
验 (yàn) means to examine; to test; to check. A common word with it is 经验 (jīngyàn), meaning "experience; to go through; to experience".
How do you pronounce 验?
验 is pronounced yàn, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 验?
The radical of 验 is 马, which carries the idea of "horse". Dictionaries list 验 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 验?
The traditional form of 验 is 騐 and 驗. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 验 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 验 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 验 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 2.
What is the difference between 实验 and 试验?
Both are pronounced shíyàn. 实验 usually means a scientific experiment, as in 实验室 (laboratory), while 试验 means a trial or test run of something new, such as a product or method.
How do 体验 and 经验 differ?
体验 (tǐyàn) means to experience something firsthand, like trying a new activity. 经验 (jīngyàn) is the knowledge or skill you have gained from past experience, as in 工作经验 (work experience).