冉 (rǎn) is a Chinese character meaning “gradually”. It is written from 冂 (down box) and 土 (earth; soil), and takes 5 strokes.
Build the character for “slowly, gradually”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
冂 + 土
Overlapping structure
Structure from: Unicode U+5189 (kRSKangXi 13.3); modern decomposition candidate checked against hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 stroke geometry (strokes 1-2 = 冂 frame, strokes 3-5 = 一 丨 一 of 土)
Memory aid
Ground (土) pushing up through an open frame (冂) — it moves, but only little by little.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
5 strokes
In real words
- 冉冉rǎn rǎnslowly; gradually (of something rising or drifting)冉 = rǎnspoken asrán rǎn
Go deeper
All readings
gradually
gradually; slowly (used in 冉冉); also a Chinese surname
慢慢地、渐渐地（多用于「冉冉」）；也作姓氏。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 冉冉rǎn rǎnslowly; gradually (of something rising or drifting)冉 = rǎnspoken asrán rǎn
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 冉 mean?
冉 (rǎn) means gradually; slowly (used in 冉冉); also a Chinese surname.
How do you pronounce 冉?
It is pronounced rǎn.
What parts is 冉 made of?
冂 (down box) and 土 (earth; soil). The recorded source is: Unicode U+5189 (kRSKangXi 13.3); modern decomposition candidate checked against hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 stroke geometry (strokes 1-2 = 冂 frame, strokes 3-5 = 一 丨 一 of 土). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 冉 have?
5. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 冉?
冂. 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 冉?
Common ones are 冉冉. The reading of 冉 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.