宦 (huàn) is a Chinese character meaning “government official”. It is written from 宀 (roof) and 臣 (official; subject), one above the other, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “official; to serve in government”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
宀 + 臣
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: IDS 拆分 ⿱宀臣（说文解字：宦，仕也。从宀从臣），并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–2 为「宀」，笔画 3–8 为下部「臣」（3+6=9 画）
Memory aid
A servant of the ruler (臣) working under the palace roof (宀) — someone who serves in government: an official career.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 宦官huàn guāneunuch (court official in imperial China)宦 = huàn
Go deeper
All readings
official; to serve in government
government official; to hold office; eunuch (in 宦官)
做官；官吏。也指宦官。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 宦官huàn guāneunuch (court official in imperial China)宦 = huàn
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 宦 mean?
宦 (huàn) means government official; to hold office; eunuch (in 宦官).
How do you pronounce 宦?
It is pronounced huàn.
What parts is 宦 made of?
宀 (roof) and 臣 (official; subject), one above the other. The recorded source is: IDS 拆分 ⿱宀臣（说文解字：宦，仕也。从宀从臣），并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–2 为「宀」，笔画 3–8 为下部「臣」（3+6=9 画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 宦 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 宦?
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 宦?
Common ones are 宦官. The reading of 宦 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.