Meaning of 捡
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to pick up; to collect; to gather
How to use 捡
捡 (jiǎn) means to pick up something from the ground or to find something by chance. It often takes a result complement like 起来 or 到. Example: 我在路上捡到一个钱包。(Wǒ zài lù shang jiǎn dào yí gè qiánbāo.) I found a wallet on the road.
捡 has the hand radical 扌 on the left, so think of a hand reaching down. The right side 佥 (qiān) gives the sound, and you can picture a hand bending to pick something off the ground.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 捡 (jiǎn) with 检 (jiǎn, to check), as in 检查. They sound the same, but 捡 has the hand 扌 for picking up, while 检 has the tree 木.
捡 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
捡 jiǎn · to pick up · 10 strokes
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Questions about 捡
What does 捡 mean?
捡 (jiǎn) means "to pick up; to collect; to gather" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 捡?
捡 is made of 1 character: 捡 (10 strokes). That is 10 strokes in total.
Is 捡 an HSK word?
Yes. 捡 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 捡 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 捡 is written 撿.
What is the difference between 捡 and 拿?
拿 (ná) is a general word for holding or taking something. 捡 specifically means picking something up from a lower place, usually the ground, or finding something someone dropped.
What does 捡便宜 mean?
捡便宜 (jiǎn piányi) means to get a bargain or gain an advantage without much effort. It can sound slightly negative, like taking advantage of a situation.