斩 (zhǎn) is a Chinese character meaning “to chop”. It is written from 车 (vehicle; cart) and 斤 (catty (unit of weight)), side by side, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “to chop, to cut off”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
车 + 斤
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：车 4 画 + 斤 4 画 = 8 画）；构形依据《说文解字》「斬：从車从斤」
Memory aid
An axe (斤) swung at a cart (车) — the cart is cut clean in two. Both parts are really in this character.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 斩断zhǎn duànto chop off; to sever斩 = zhǎn
- 斩获zhǎn huòto capture; to come away with (a win or title)斩 = zhǎn
Go deeper
All readings
to chop
to chop; to cut off; to sever
砍；砍断。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 斩断zhǎn duànto chop off; to sever斩 = zhǎn
- 斩获zhǎn huòto capture; to come away with (a win or title)斩 = zhǎn
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 斩 mean?
斩 (zhǎn) means to chop; to cut off; to sever.
How do you pronounce 斩?
It is pronounced zhǎn.
What parts is 斩 made of?
车 (vehicle; cart) and 斤 (catty (unit of weight)), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：车 4 画 + 斤 4 画 = 8 画）；构形依据《说文解字》「斬：从車从斤」. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 斩 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 斩?
斤. 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 斩?
Common ones are 斩断 and 斩获. The reading of 斩 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.