闪 (shǎn) is a Chinese character meaning “to flash”. It is written from 门 (door; gate) and 人 (person), one enclosing the other, and takes 5 strokes.
Build the character for “flash”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
门 + 人
Enclosing structure
Structure from: IDS 现代字形拆分 ⿵门人；与 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数据核验：闪 共 5 笔，第 1–3 笔属 门，第 4–5 笔属 人
Memory aid
A person (人) inside a gateway (门) — there for an instant, then gone. That is what a flash is: something you only half caught.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
5 strokes
In real words
- 闪电shǎn diànlightning闪 = shǎn
- 闪开shǎn kāito dodge aside; to get out of the way闪 = shǎn
- 闪烁shǎn shuòto twinkle; to flicker; to glimmer闪 = shǎn
Go deeper
All readings
to flash
to flash; to sparkle; to flash past; to dodge aside
光亮突然出现又很快消失；也指身体迅速侧身躲避。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 闪电shǎn diànlightning闪 = shǎn
- 闪开shǎn kāito dodge aside; to get out of the way闪 = shǎn
- 闪烁shǎn shuòto twinkle; to flicker; to glimmer闪 = shǎn
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 闪 mean?
闪 (shǎn) means to flash; to sparkle; to flash past; to dodge aside.
How do you pronounce 闪?
It is pronounced shǎn.
What parts is 闪 made of?
门 (door; gate) and 人 (person), one enclosing the other. The recorded source is: IDS 现代字形拆分 ⿵门人；与 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数据核验：闪 共 5 笔，第 1–3 笔属 门，第 4–5 笔属 人. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 闪 have?
5. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 闪?
门. 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 闪?
Common ones are 闪电 and 闪开. The reading of 闪 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.