免 (miǎn) is a Chinese character meaning “to avoid”. It is written from ⺈ (claw-top form; the flattened top of 刀 seen in 争, 色, 龟) and 口 (mouth) and 儿 (child; legs), and takes 7 strokes.
Build the character for “to avoid; free of charge”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
⺈ + 口 + 儿
Top–middle–bottom structure
- ⺈ claw-top form; the flattened top of 刀 seen in 争, 色, 龟 unknown
- 口 mouth · kǒu unknown
- 儿 child; legs · ér unknown
Structure from: hanzi-writer-data 笔画逐笔核验（现代字形拆分 ⺈2画 + 口3画 + 儿2画 = 7画）
Memory aid
A head ducking down (⺈) above a shut mouth (口) on a pair of running legs (儿) — keep your head low, say nothing, and you get out of it.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 免费miǎn fèifree of charge免 = miǎn
- 避免bì miǎnto avoid; to avert免 = miǎn
- 免疫miǎn yìimmune; immunity免 = miǎn
- 赦免shè miǎnto pardon; to absolve免 = miǎn
Go deeper
All readings
to avoid; to exempt
to avoid; to avert; to excuse from; to exempt; free of (a charge or duty)
去掉、不必承受；也表示不收费或不许可。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 免费miǎn fèifree of charge免 = miǎn
- 避免bì miǎnto avoid; to avert免 = miǎn
- 免疫miǎn yìimmune; immunity免 = miǎn
- 赦免shè miǎnto pardon; to absolve免 = miǎn
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 免 mean?
免 (miǎn) means to avoid; to avert; to excuse from; to exempt; free of (a charge or duty).
How do you pronounce 免?
It is pronounced miǎn.
What parts is 免 made of?
⺈ (claw-top form; the flattened top of 刀 seen in 争, 色, 龟) and 口 (mouth) and 儿 (child; legs). The recorded source is: hanzi-writer-data 笔画逐笔核验（现代字形拆分 ⺈2画 + 口3画 + 儿2画 = 7画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 免 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 免?
儿. 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 免?
Common ones are 免费 and 避免. The reading of 免 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.