牵 (qiān) is a Chinese character meaning “to pull along”. It is written from 大 (big) and 冖 (cover) and 牛 (ox; cow), and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “to pull along”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
大 + 冖 + 牛
Top–middle–bottom structure
Structure from: modern-shape decomposition verified against hanzi-writer-data stroke order (strokes 1-3 = 大, 4-5 = 冖, 6-9 = 牛; 3+2+4 = 9); radical 牛 per Kangxi radical 93
Memory aid
A big (大) rope is thrown like a cover (冖) over an ox (牛) — and the ox gets led away. 牵 is to pull something along.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 牵手qiān shǒuto hold hands牵 = qiān
- 牵引qiān yǐnto tow; to pull; traction牵 = qiān
- 牵扯qiān chěto involve; to implicate; to drag in牵 = qiān
Go deeper
All readings
to pull along
to pull along; to lead (by the hand or by a rope); to draw; to involve
拉着向前走；用手或绳子引着。也指互相关联、涉及。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 牵手qiān shǒuto hold hands牵 = qiān
- 牵引qiān yǐnto tow; to pull; traction牵 = qiān
- 牵扯qiān chěto involve; to implicate; to drag in牵 = qiān
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 牵 mean?
牵 (qiān) means to pull along; to lead (by the hand or by a rope); to draw; to involve.
How do you pronounce 牵?
It is pronounced qiān.
What parts is 牵 made of?
大 (big) and 冖 (cover) and 牛 (ox; cow). The recorded source is: modern-shape decomposition verified against hanzi-writer-data stroke order (strokes 1-3 = 大, 4-5 = 冖, 6-9 = 牛; 3+2+4 = 9); radical 牛 per Kangxi radical 93. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 牵 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 牵?
牛. 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 牵?
Common ones are 牵手 and 牵引. The reading of 牵 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.