娟 (juān) is a Chinese character meaning “graceful”. It is written from 女 (woman; female) and 肙 (yuān — sound component (口 over 月)), side by side, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “graceful; beautiful”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
女 + 肙
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文新附: 娟，嬋娟，態也。从女肙聲（现代字形对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画：女 3 画 + 肙 7 画 = 10 画）
Memory aid
A woman (女) on the left, and 肙 (yuān) on the right giving the sound juān. Picture a woman whose handwriting is so neat and graceful it almost sings "juān" — 娟 means graceful and lovely.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 娟秀juān xiùgraceful; elegant (esp. of handwriting or looks)娟 = juān
- 婵娟chán juān(literary) a beautiful woman; the moon娟 = juān
Go deeper
All readings
graceful; beautiful
graceful; beautiful; lovely (literary, often of women or handwriting)
姿态秀美；美好。多用于书面语，如「娟秀」。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 娟秀juān xiùgraceful; elegant (esp. of handwriting or looks)娟 = juān
- 婵娟chán juān(literary) a beautiful woman; the moon娟 = juān
Sound component
肙 family onset shift
Easy to confuse with
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 娟 mean?
娟 (juān) means graceful; beautiful; lovely (literary, often of women or handwriting).
How do you pronounce 娟?
It is pronounced juān.
What parts is 娟 made of?
女 (woman; female) and 肙 (yuān — sound component (口 over 月)), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文新附: 娟，嬋娟，態也。从女肙聲（现代字形对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画：女 3 画 + 肙 7 画 = 10 画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 娟 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 娟?
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 娟?
Common ones are 娟秀 and 婵娟. The reading of 娟 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.