勉 (miǎn) is a Chinese character meaning “to exert oneself”. It is written from 免 (to avoid; to exempt) and 力 (strength; power), one enclosing the other, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “to exert oneself; to encourage”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
免 + 力
Enclosing structure
Structure from: 说文解字：勉，彊也。从力免聲。IDS 拆分 ⿺免力，并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–6 为「免」（末笔竖弯钩向右下包抄），笔画 7–8 为「力」
Memory aid
免 is getting let off — excused, off the hook. Drop 力 (strength) into that gap and the escape turns into effort: 勉 is pushing yourself on anyway.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 勉强miǎn qiǎngreluctantly; to force somebody to do something; barely enough勉 = miǎnspoken asmián qiǎng
- 勉励miǎn lìto encourage; to urge somebody on勉 = miǎn
Go deeper
All readings
to exert oneself; to encourage
to exert oneself; to strive; to urge somebody on. Also: to do something that is beyond one's ability or against one's will, as in 勉强.
尽力去做；鼓励别人努力。也指能力不够或不情愿还硬去做。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 勉强miǎn qiǎngreluctantly; to force somebody to do something; barely enough勉 = miǎnspoken asmián qiǎng
- 勉励miǎn lìto encourage; to urge somebody on勉 = miǎn
Sound component
免 family exact
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 勉 mean?
勉 (miǎn) means to exert oneself; to strive; to urge somebody on. Also: to do something that is beyond one's ability or against one's will, as in 勉强..
How do you pronounce 勉?
It is pronounced miǎn.
What parts is 勉 made of?
免 (to avoid; to exempt) and 力 (strength; power), one enclosing the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字：勉，彊也。从力免聲。IDS 拆分 ⿺免力，并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–6 为「免」（末笔竖弯钩向右下包抄），笔画 7–8 为「力」. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 勉 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 勉?
力. 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 勉?
Common ones are 勉强 and 勉励. The reading of 勉 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.