穿 (chuān) is a Chinese character meaning “to wear (clothes, shoes)”. It is written from 穴 (cave; hole) and 牙 (tooth), one above the other, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “to wear; to pass through”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
穴 + 牙
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 说文解字·穴部：穿，通也。从牙在穴中（现代字形已对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：穴 5 画 + 牙 4 画 = 9 画）
Memory aid
Teeth (牙) gnawing away under a cave roof (穴) until they bore a hole right through — that's how you get through something.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 穿过chuān guòto pass through; to go across穿 = chuān
- 看穿kàn chuānto see through (a trick or disguise)穿 = chuān
- 穿梭chuān suōto shuttle back and forth; to go to and fro穿 = chuān
Go deeper
All readings
to wear; to pass through
to wear (clothes, shoes); to pass through; to pierce; to thread
把衣服鞋袜等套在身上；通过、透过；使穿透。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 穿过chuān guòto pass through; to go across穿 = chuān
- 看穿kàn chuānto see through (a trick or disguise)穿 = chuān
- 穿梭chuān suōto shuttle back and forth; to go to and fro穿 = chuān
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 穿 mean?
穿 (chuān) means to wear (clothes, shoes); to pass through; to pierce; to thread.
How do you pronounce 穿?
It is pronounced chuān.
What parts is 穿 made of?
穴 (cave; hole) and 牙 (tooth), one above the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字·穴部：穿，通也。从牙在穴中（现代字形已对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：穴 5 画 + 牙 4 画 = 9 画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 穿 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 穿?
穴. 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 穿?
Common ones are 穿过 and 看穿. The reading of 穿 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.