险 (xiǎn) is a Chinese character meaning “danger”. It is written from 阝 (left form: mound (阜); right form: city or settlement (邑)) and 佥 (all; everyone (classical); in 俭 it carries the sound), side by side, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “danger”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
阝 + 佥
Left–right structure
- 阝 left form: mound (阜); right form: city or settlement (邑) · fù meaning
- 佥 all; everyone (classical); in 俭 it carries the sound · qiān sound
Structure from: 现代字形拆分：险 = 阝(阜) + 佥；Unicode U+9669 radical 170 (阜)；hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：0–1 笔为阝(2 画)，2–8 笔为佥(7 画)，合计 9 画；说文解字：險，阻難也。从𨸏僉聲。
Memory aid
阝 on the left is a steep bank of earth. 佥 on the right means "everyone". Everyone crowding onto the edge of a steep bank — that is dangerous.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 危险wēi xiǎndangerous; danger险 = xiǎn
- 冒险mào xiǎnto take a risk; to venture; adventure险 = xiǎn
- 探险tàn xiǎnto explore; expedition险 = xiǎn
- 险峻xiǎn jùnprecipitous; steep and dangerous险 = xiǎn
Go deeper
All readings
danger; risky
danger; dangerous; risky; a strategic pass; nearly
地势险要、不易通过；可能遭到损害的情况，危险。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 危险wēi xiǎndangerous; danger险 = xiǎn
- 冒险mào xiǎnto take a risk; to venture; adventure险 = xiǎn
- 探险tàn xiǎnto explore; expedition险 = xiǎn
- 险峻xiǎn jùnprecipitous; steep and dangerous险 = xiǎn
Origin
A phono-semantic compound: 阜 (written 阝 on the left) is a bank of earth, and 佥 (traditional 僉) supplies the sound. 说文解字 glosses 險 as "a hard obstruction" — steep, difficult terrain, hence danger.
Source: 说文解字：險，阻難也。从𨸏僉聲。
Sound component
佥 family
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 险 mean?
险 (xiǎn) means danger; dangerous; risky; a strategic pass; nearly.
How do you pronounce 险?
It is pronounced xiǎn.
What parts is 险 made of?
阝 (left form: mound (阜); right form: city or settlement (邑)) and 佥 (all; everyone (classical); in 俭 it carries the sound), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分：险 = 阝(阜) + 佥；Unicode U+9669 radical 170 (阜)；hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：0–1 笔为阝(2 画)，2–8 笔为佥(7 画)，合计 9 画；说文解字：險，阻難也。从𨸏僉聲。. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 险 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 险?
阜. 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 险?
Common ones are 危险 and 冒险. The reading of 险 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.