渗 (shèn) is a Chinese character meaning “to seep”. It is written from 氵 (water (left-side form)) and 参 (to take part; to join (as a component, often a sound hint)), side by side, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “to seep”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
氵 + 参
Left–right structure
- 氵 water (left-side form) · shuǐ meaning
- 参 to take part; to join (as a component, often a sound hint) · cān sound
Structure from: 说文解字: 滲，下漉也。从水，參聲 (simplified 渗 = 氵+参; modern form checked against hanzi-writer-data strokes 0–2 氵, 3–10 参)
Memory aid
Water (氵) slowly joins in (参) — it seeps into everything around it.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 渗透shèn tòuto permeate; to seep through; to infiltrate渗 = shèn
- 渗入shèn rùto seep into; to permeate渗 = shèn
Go deeper
All readings
to seep
to seep; to ooze; to permeate; to infiltrate
液体慢慢地透入或漏出；也比喻逐渐进入、渗入。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 渗透shèn tòuto permeate; to seep through; to infiltrate渗 = shèn
- 渗入shèn rùto seep into; to permeate渗 = shèn
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 渗 mean?
渗 (shèn) means to seep; to ooze; to permeate; to infiltrate.
How do you pronounce 渗?
It is pronounced shèn.
What parts is 渗 made of?
氵 (water (left-side form)) and 参 (to take part; to join (as a component, often a sound hint)), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字: 滲，下漉也。从水，參聲 (simplified 渗 = 氵+参; modern form checked against hanzi-writer-data strokes 0–2 氵, 3–10 参). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 渗 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 渗?
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 渗?
Common ones are 渗透 and 渗入. The reading of 渗 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.