鮮 meaning and stroke order
Fresh; delicious; attractive
How to write 鮮, stroke by stroke
17 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 鮮
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- fresh
- bright (in color)
- delicious
- tasty
- delicacy
- aquatic foods
- few
- rare
How 鮮 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Fish.
魚 gives the meaning and 羊 hints at the sound.
Radical: 魚 (fish), shared by 63 characters on this site.
How to remember 鮮
鮮 puts fish 魚 next to sheep 羊. Fish is the meaning part, and 羊 (yáng) gives a hint of the sound, so think of fresh fish and fresh lamb as the two most delicious foods.
鮮 (xiān) usually means fresh, as in food, flowers, or air. It also describes bright colors in words like 鲜艳 (xiānyàn). Example: 这里的海鲜很新鲜。(Zhèlǐ de hǎixiān hěn xīnxiān.) The seafood here is very fresh.
Common mistake: Learners often forget that 鮮 has a second reading, xiǎn, meaning rare, as in 鲜为人知 (xiǎn wéi rén zhī, little known). Also do not confuse it with 鲜's component 魚 alone or with 鲤 (lǐ, carp), which shares the fish side.
Common words with 鮮
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 新鮮 | xīnxiān | fresh (experience, food etc); freshness | HSK 4 |
| 鮮花 | xiānhuā | flower; fresh flowers | HSK 4 |
| 海鮮 | hǎixiān | seafood | HSK 4 |
| 鮮明 | xiānmíng | (of colors) bright; fresh and clear; clear-cut; distinct | HSK 4 |
| 鮮艷 | xiānyàn | bright-colored; gaily-colored | HSK 5 |
| 鮮血 | xiānxuè | blood | HSK 7-9 |
| 鮮活 | xiānhuó | vivid; lively; (of food ingredients) live or fresh | HSK 7-9 |
| 保鮮 | bǎoxiān | to keep fresh; to preserve freshness | HSK 7-9 |
| 鮮美 | xiānměi | fresh and delicious; tasty | HSK 7-9 |
| 光鮮 | guāngxiān | bright and neat | |
| 鮮紅 | xiānhóng | scarlet; bright red | |
| 鮮奶油 | xiānnǎiyóu | cream; whipped cream |
Characters that contain 鮮
Learning 鮮 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 鮮
How many strokes are in 鮮?
鮮 is written with 17 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 鮮 mean?
鮮 (xiān) means fresh; delicious; attractive. A common word with it is 新鲜 (xīnxiān), meaning "fresh (experience, food etc); freshness".
How do you pronounce 鮮?
鮮 is pronounced xiān, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 鮮?
The radical of 鮮 is 魚, which carries the idea of "fish". Dictionaries list 鮮 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 鮮?
鮮 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 鲜, used in mainland China and Singapore.
Why do I see both 鮮 and 鲜?
鲜 is the simplified form used in mainland China, with the fish part written as 鱼. 鮮 is the traditional form used in Taiwan and Hong Kong. They mean the same thing.
Is 鲜 in 朝鲜 pronounced xiān or xiǎn?
In 朝鲜 (Cháoxiǎn), the name for Korea or North Korea, it is usually read xiǎn in mainland standard pronunciation. In Taiwan it is often read Cháoxiān.