盏 (zhǎn) is a Chinese character meaning “small shallow cup or dish”. It is written from 戋 (tiny, small amount; the sound part of 浅, 钱, 线) and 皿 (dish; vessel), one above the other, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “small cup; lamp”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
戋 + 皿
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分，以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：10 画 = 戋 5 画（笔画 0–4，上）+ 皿 5 画（笔画 5–9，下）；部首取康熙 108 皿部；声符判断只依据实测现代读音（戋 jiān / 盏 zhǎn 声母、韵母、声调均不同）
Memory aid
A tiny amount (戋) sitting on a dish (皿): a small cup or lamp dish that holds just a little oil or tea.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 灯盏dēng zhǎnoil lamp (without a chimney)盏 = zhǎn
- 茶盏chá zhǎnsmall teacup盏 = zhǎn
Go deeper
All readings
small cup; measure word for lamps
small shallow cup or dish; oil-lamp dish; measure word for lamps (一盏灯 "one lamp")
小而浅的杯子或碟子；也用作量词，用于灯，如「一盏灯」。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 灯盏dēng zhǎnoil lamp (without a chimney)盏 = zhǎn
- 茶盏chá zhǎnsmall teacup盏 = zhǎn
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 盏 mean?
盏 (zhǎn) means small shallow cup or dish; oil-lamp dish; measure word for lamps (一盏灯 "one lamp").
How do you pronounce 盏?
It is pronounced zhǎn.
What parts is 盏 made of?
戋 (tiny, small amount; the sound part of 浅, 钱, 线) and 皿 (dish; vessel), one above the other. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分，以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：10 画 = 戋 5 画（笔画 0–4，上）+ 皿 5 画（笔画 5–9，下）；部首取康熙 108 皿部；声符判断只依据实测现代读音（戋 jiān / 盏 zhǎn 声母、韵母、声调均不同）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 盏 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 盏?
皿. 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 盏?
Common ones are 灯盏 and 茶盏. The reading of 盏 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.