浅 (qiǎn) is a Chinese character meaning “shallow”. It is written from 氵 (water (left-side form)) and 戋 (tiny, small amount; the sound part of 浅, 钱, 线), side by side, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “shallow”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
氵 + 戋
Left–right structure
- 氵 water (left-side form) · shuǐ meaning
- 戋 tiny, small amount; the sound part of 浅, 钱, 线 · jiān sound
Structure from: 现代字形拆分，以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：8 画 = 氵 3 画 + 戋 5 画；部首取康熙 85 水部；声符判断只依据实测现代读音（戋 jiān / 浅 qiǎn 韵母同为 ian，声母 j/q 与声调不同）
Memory aid
Water (氵) next to 戋, the part that means "a tiny amount": only a little water in the pool, so it is shallow.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 浅色qiǎn sèlight color; pale shade浅 = qiǎn
- 肤浅fū qiǎnsuperficial; shallow (of understanding)浅 = qiǎn
Go deeper
All readings
shallow
shallow; not deep; (of colour) light, pale; (of understanding) superficial; simple, easy
从上到下或从外到里的距离小；也指颜色淡、程度不深、内容简单。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 浅色qiǎn sèlight color; pale shade浅 = qiǎn
- 肤浅fū qiǎnsuperficial; shallow (of understanding)浅 = qiǎn
Rare readings, not taught: jiān
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 浅 mean?
浅 (qiǎn) means shallow; not deep; (of colour) light, pale; (of understanding) superficial; simple, easy.
How do you pronounce 浅?
It is pronounced qiǎn.
What parts is 浅 made of?
氵 (water (left-side form)) and 戋 (tiny, small amount; the sound part of 浅, 钱, 线), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分，以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：8 画 = 氵 3 画 + 戋 5 画；部首取康熙 85 水部；声符判断只依据实测现代读音（戋 jiān / 浅 qiǎn 韵母同为 ian，声母 j/q 与声调不同）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 浅 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 浅?
氵. 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 浅?
Common ones are 浅色 and 肤浅. The reading of 浅 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.