选 (xuǎn) is a Chinese character meaning “to choose”. It is written from 辶 (walk; go — the "movement" radical (chuò)) and 先 (first; earlier; before; ahead), one enclosing the other, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “to choose; to select”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
辶 + 先
Enclosing structure
- 辶 walk; go — the "movement" radical (chuò) · chuò meaning
- 先 first; earlier; before; ahead · xiān sound
Structure from: IDS 拆分 ⿺辶先，并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–5 位于右上，构成「先」；笔画 6–8 为「辶」（点、横折折撇、平捺）
Memory aid
Both parts are really in this character: 先 (first) riding on the road radical 辶. You walk down the road and take the one you put first — 选 means to choose.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 选择xuǎn zéto choose; choice选 = xuǎnHSK 3
- 挑选tiāo xuǎnto pick out; to select; to choose选 = xuǎn
- 勾选gōu xuǎnto tick; to check (a box)选 = xuǎn
- 拣选jiǎn xuǎnto select; to sort out选 = xuǎnspoken asjián xuǎn
- 选举xuǎn jǔto elect; election选 = xuǎnspoken asxuán jǔ
Go deeper
All readings
to choose
to choose; to select; to pick; to elect
从若干对象里挑出合意的；也指投票推举。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 选择xuǎn zéto choose; choice选 = xuǎnHSK 3
- 挑选tiāo xuǎnto pick out; to select; to choose选 = xuǎn
- 勾选gōu xuǎnto tick; to check (a box)选 = xuǎn
- 拣选jiǎn xuǎnto select; to sort out选 = xuǎnspoken asjián xuǎn
- 选举xuǎn jǔto elect; election选 = xuǎnspoken asxuán jǔ
Sound component
先 family rime near
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 选 mean?
选 (xuǎn) means to choose; to select; to pick; to elect.
How do you pronounce 选?
It is pronounced xuǎn.
What parts is 选 made of?
辶 (walk; go — the "movement" radical (chuò)) and 先 (first; earlier; before; ahead), one enclosing the other. The recorded source is: IDS 拆分 ⿺辶先，并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–5 位于右上，构成「先」；笔画 6–8 为「辶」（点、横折折撇、平捺）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 选 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 选?
辶. 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 选?
Common ones are 选择 and 挑选. The reading of 选 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.