宛 (wǎn) is a Chinese character meaning “as if”. It is written from 宀 (roof) and 夗 (sound component in 苑 / 宛 (yuàn / wǎn)), one above the other, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “as if; just like”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
宀 + 夗
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 说文解字：宛，屈艸自覆也。从宀，夗聲（hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 1–3 为 宀，笔画 4–8 与 夗 逐笔对应）
Memory aid
A roof (宀) sheltering 夗, the sound part. Everything under this roof bends and curls out of sight — 宛 is the word for something that looks just as if it were something else.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 宛如wǎn rújust like; as if宛 = wǎn
- 宛然wǎn ránas if; strikingly like宛 = wǎn
Go deeper
All readings
as if
as if; seemingly; just like; (of a shape or sound) winding, tortuous
仿佛；好像。也表示曲折、婉转。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 宛如wǎn rújust like; as if宛 = wǎn
- 宛然wǎn ránas if; strikingly like宛 = wǎn
Sound component
夗 family onset shift
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 宛 mean?
宛 (wǎn) means as if; seemingly; just like; (of a shape or sound) winding, tortuous.
How do you pronounce 宛?
It is pronounced wǎn.
What parts is 宛 made of?
宀 (roof) and 夗 (sound component in 苑 / 宛 (yuàn / wǎn)), one above the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字：宛，屈艸自覆也。从宀，夗聲（hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 1–3 为 宀，笔画 4–8 与 夗 逐笔对应）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 宛 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 宛?
宀. 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 宛?
Common ones are 宛如 and 宛然. The reading of 宛 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.