Meaning of 间
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- between
- among
- within a definite time or space
- room
- section of a room or lateral space between two pairs of pillars
- classifier for rooms
- gap
- to separate
- to thin out (seedlings)
- to sow discontent
How to use 间
As a measure word, 间 counts rooms, as in 一间房间 or 两间教室. It also appears in many common words for spaces and time, such as 时间 (shíjiān), 中间 (zhōngjiān) and 洗手间 (xǐshǒujiān). Example: 这间屋子很大。 (Zhè jiān wūzi hěn dà.) This room is very big.
间 is a door 门 (mén) with the sun 日 (rì) inside. Picture sunlight shining through the gap between two door panels, which gives you the ideas of a gap, a space between things, and a room.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 间 with 问 (wèn, to ask), which has 口 inside the door instead of 日. Remember: sunlight 日 through a gap is a space, while a mouth 口 at the door is asking.
间 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.
间 jiān · between · 7 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 间.
| 时间 | shíjiān | (concept of) time; (duration of) time |
| 房间 | fángjiān | room |
| 中间 | zhōngjiān | the middle; the inside; in the middle; within; between; among |
| 洗手间 | xǐshǒujiān | toilet; lavatory |
| 卫生间 | wèishēngjiān | bathroom; toilet |
| 民间 | mínjiān | among the people; popular |
| 之间 | zhījiān | (after a noun) between; among; amid; (used after certain bisyllabic words to form expressi |
| 空间 | kōngjiān | space; room; (fig.) scope; leeway |
| 期间 | qījiān | period of time; time |
| 人间 | rénjiān | the human world; the earth |
| 夜间 | yèjiān | nighttime; evening or night (e.g. classes) |
| 间接 | jiànjiē | indirectly; indirect |
Questions about 间
What does 间 mean?
间 (jiān) means "between; among" and is used as a measure word.
How do you write 间?
间 is made of 1 character: 间 (7 strokes). That is 7 strokes in total.
Is 间 an HSK word?
Yes. 间 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 间 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 间 is written 間.
When is 间 pronounced jiàn instead of jiān?
It is read jiàn in the senses of gap or separation, as in 间隔 (jiàngé, interval) and 离间 (líjiàn, to sow discord). For rooms, time and between, it is jiān.
What is the difference between 间 and 个 for counting rooms?
Both work in speech, but 间 is the specific measure word for rooms and sounds more natural and precise, as in 一间卧室 (yì jiān wòshì, one bedroom). 个 is the general fallback.