灿 (càn) is a Chinese character meaning “bright”. It is written from 火 (fire) and 山 (mountain), side by side, and takes 7 strokes.
Build the character for “brilliant”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
火 + 山
Left–right structure
Structure from: hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：现代简化字形拆为 ⿰火山（4+3=7 画）
Memory aid
A fire (火) burning on a mountain (山) — the whole ridge glows against the night. Both parts are really in this character: 灿, brilliant.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 灿烂càn lànbrilliant; splendid; glorious灿 = càn
Go deeper
All readings
brilliant
bright; brilliant; glowing; splendid
光彩鲜明耀眼。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 灿烂càn lànbrilliant; splendid; glorious灿 = càn
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 灿 mean?
灿 (càn) means bright; brilliant; glowing; splendid.
How do you pronounce 灿?
It is pronounced càn.
What parts is 灿 made of?
火 (fire) and 山 (mountain), side by side. The recorded source is: hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：现代简化字形拆为 ⿰火山（4+3=7 画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 灿 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 灿?
火. 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 灿?
Common ones are 灿烂. The reading of 灿 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.