传 (chuán) is a Chinese character meaning “to pass on”. It is written from 亻 (person (the form 人 takes on the left)) and 专 (specialized; focused), side by side, and takes 6 strokes. It has a second reading, zhuàn, which turns up in 传记 — here the two readings are two separate things to learn, not one card with two answers.
Build the character for “to pass on”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
亻 + 专
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分 ⿰亻专（与 hanzi-writer-data 六笔笔顺逐笔核验：前 2 笔为亻，后 4 笔为专）
Memory aid
A person (亻) with one focused job (专): carry it onward. Whatever is handed to them gets passed to the next pair of hands — that is 传.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
6 strokes
In real words
- 传说chuán shuōlegend; it is said that传 = chuán
- 宣传xuān chuánto publicize; to spread the word about传 = chuán
- 讹传é chuánfalse rumor; to spread a false report传 = chuán
- 传授chuán shòuto pass on (knowledge or skills); to impart传 = chuán
- 传统chuán tǒngtradition; traditional传 = chuán
- 传递chuán dìto pass on; to transmit; to relay传 = chuán
Go deeper
All readings
to pass on
to pass on; to hand down; to spread (news); to transmit
把东西或消息交给另一方；一代一代地留下去。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 传说chuán shuōlegend; it is said that传 = chuán
- 宣传xuān chuánto publicize; to spread the word about传 = chuán
- 讹传é chuánfalse rumor; to spread a false report传 = chuán
- 传授chuán shòuto pass on (knowledge or skills); to impart传 = chuán
- 传统chuán tǒngtradition; traditional传 = chuán
- 传递chuán dìto pass on; to transmit; to relay传 = chuán
biography
a biography; a narrative record of someone's life
记载人物生平的文字。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 传记zhuàn jìbiography传 = zhuàn
Sound component
专 family onset shift
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 传 mean?
传 (chuán) means to pass on; to hand down; to spread (news); to transmit.
How do you pronounce 传?
Its main reading is chuán. It also has a second reading, zhuàn, which only shows up in certain words such as 传记 — so the word tells you the reading, not the character on its own.
Why is 传 sometimes pronounced zhuàn?
Because it is a multi-reading character: each reading carries a different sense, and the word decides which one applies. In 传记 it is read zhuàn.
What parts is 传 made of?
亻 (person (the form 人 takes on the left)) and 专 (specialized; focused), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分 ⿰亻专（与 hanzi-writer-data 六笔笔顺逐笔核验：前 2 笔为亻，后 4 笔为专）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 传 have?
6. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 传?
人. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 传?
Common ones are 传说 and 宣传. The reading of 传 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.