钳 (qián) is a Chinese character meaning “pincers”. It is written from 钅 (metal radical (left-side form of 金)) and 甘 (sweet), side by side, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “pincers”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
钅 + 甘
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字「鉗…从金甘聲」；现代字形拆分对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：钅 5 画 + 甘 5 画 = 10 画
Memory aid
钅 on the left is the metal radical. 甘 on the right looks like a mouth holding something tight. A metal tool that bites down and holds: pincers.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 钳子qián zǐpliers; pincers; tongs钳 = qiánspoken asqián zi
- 钳制qián zhìto clamp down on; to restrain; to suppress钳 = qián
Go deeper
All readings
pincers
pincers; pliers; tongs; to clamp; to restrain
夹东西的工具；用钳子夹住；限制、约束。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 钳子qián zǐpliers; pincers; tongs钳 = qiánspoken asqián zi
- 钳制qián zhìto clamp down on; to restrain; to suppress钳 = qián
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 钳 mean?
钳 (qián) means pincers; pliers; tongs; to clamp; to restrain.
How do you pronounce 钳?
It is pronounced qián.
What parts is 钳 made of?
钅 (metal radical (left-side form of 金)) and 甘 (sweet), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字「鉗…从金甘聲」；现代字形拆分对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：钅 5 画 + 甘 5 画 = 10 画. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 钳 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 钳?
金. 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 钳?
Common ones are 钳子 and 钳制. The reading of 钳 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.