现 (xiàn) is a Chinese character meaning “present”. It is written from 王 (king) and 见 (to see), side by side, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “now; to appear”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
王 + 见
Left–right structure
Structure from: Unicode U+73B0; 现代字形拆分，依据 hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 的八笔几何核验（第 1–4 笔为左旁王，第 5–8 笔为右旁见）
Memory aid
On the left, 王 — here it is the jade radical, a piece of jade. On the right, 见: to see. Jade you can finally see. It has come out into view — it is here, now.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 现在xiàn zàinow; at present现 = xiànHSK 1
- 发现fā xiànto discover; to find out现 = xiànHSK 3
- 兑现duì xiànto cash (a cheque); to make good on (a promise)现 = xiàn
- 呈现chéng xiànto present; to appear (as)现 = xiàn
- 现金xiàn jīncash现 = xiàn
- 涌现yǒng xiànto emerge in large numbers; to spring up现 = xiàn
- 现实xiàn shíreality; realistic现 = xiànHSK 4
- 现象xiàn xiàngphenomenon现 = xiàn
- 现钞xiàn chāocash in banknotes现 = xiàn
Go deeper
All readings
present; to appear
present; current; now; to appear; to show; ready (cash)
此刻的、当下的；也表示显露出来、让人看见。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 现在xiàn zàinow; at present现 = xiànHSK 1
- 发现fā xiànto discover; to find out现 = xiànHSK 3
- 兑现duì xiànto cash (a cheque); to make good on (a promise)现 = xiàn
- 呈现chéng xiànto present; to appear (as)现 = xiàn
- 现金xiàn jīncash现 = xiàn
- 涌现yǒng xiànto emerge in large numbers; to spring up现 = xiàn
- 现实xiàn shíreality; realistic现 = xiànHSK 4
- 现象xiàn xiàngphenomenon现 = xiàn
- 现钞xiàn chāocash in banknotes现 = xiàn
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 现 mean?
现 (xiàn) means present; current; now; to appear; to show; ready (cash).
How do you pronounce 现?
It is pronounced xiàn.
What parts is 现 made of?
王 (king) and 见 (to see), side by side. The recorded source is: Unicode U+73B0; 现代字形拆分，依据 hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 的八笔几何核验（第 1–4 笔为左旁王，第 5–8 笔为右旁见）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 现 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 现?
玉. 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 现?
Common ones are 现在 and 发现. The reading of 现 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.