纤 (xiān) is a Chinese character meaning “fine”. It is written from 纟 (silk; thread (left-side form)) and 干 (dry), side by side, and takes 6 strokes.
Build the character for “fine; slender”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
纟 + 干
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分（hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：纟 3 画 + 干 3 画 = 6 画）
Memory aid
Silk thread (纟) drawn out as thin as a dry stalk (干) — something fine and fiber-thin.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
6 strokes
In real words
- 纤维xiān wéifiber纤 = xiān
- 化纤huà xiānsynthetic fiber纤 = xiān
Go deeper
All readings
fine; slender
fine; slender; thin (as of thread or fiber)
细小、细长，多用于丝线一类的东西。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 纤维xiān wéifiber纤 = xiān
- 化纤huà xiānsynthetic fiber纤 = xiān
Rare readings, not taught: qiàn
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 纤 mean?
纤 (xiān) means fine; slender; thin (as of thread or fiber).
How do you pronounce 纤?
It is pronounced xiān.
What parts is 纤 made of?
纟 (silk; thread (left-side form)) and 干 (dry), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分（hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：纟 3 画 + 干 3 画 = 6 画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 纤 have?
6. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 纤?
糸. 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 纤?
Common ones are 纤维 and 化纤. The reading of 纤 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.