奸 (jiān) is a Chinese character meaning “wicked”. It is written from 女 (woman; female) and 干 (dry), side by side, and takes 6 strokes.
Build the character for “treacherous; traitor”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
女 + 干
Left–right structure
Structure from: IDS 构形核验（现代字形：女 3 画 + 干 3 画 = 6 画，与 hanzi-writer-data 笔画一致）
Memory aid
Both halves are really in this character. 女 on the left is the meaning side this character is filed under; 干 gān on the right hands over the sound — gān slides to jiān. Get 干 and you already have most of 奸.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
6 strokes
In real words
- 汉奸hàn jiāntraitor (to China); collaborator with an enemy of China奸 = jiān
- 内奸nèi jiāna traitor inside one's own group; inside collaborator奸 = jiān
Go deeper
All readings
treacherous; traitor
wicked; treacherous; crafty; a traitor who sells out their own side
邪恶、狡诈；也指出卖国家或集体利益的人。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 汉奸hàn jiāntraitor (to China); collaborator with an enemy of China奸 = jiān
- 内奸nèi jiāna traitor inside one's own group; inside collaborator奸 = jiān
Sound component
干 family onset shift
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 奸 mean?
奸 (jiān) means wicked; treacherous; crafty; a traitor who sells out their own side.
How do you pronounce 奸?
It is pronounced jiān.
What parts is 奸 made of?
女 (woman; female) and 干 (dry), side by side. The recorded source is: IDS 构形核验（现代字形：女 3 画 + 干 3 画 = 6 画，与 hanzi-writer-data 笔画一致）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 奸 have?
6. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 奸?
女. 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 奸?
Common ones are 汉奸 and 内奸. The reading of 奸 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.