券 (quàn) is a Chinese character meaning “a voucher, ticket or certificate — a slip of paper that”. It is written from 龹 (shared upper component of 券 / 卷 / 拳; not an independent character in modern Chinese) and 刀 (knife), one above the other, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “voucher; ticket”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
龹 + 刀
Top–bottom structure
- 龹 shared upper component of 券 / 卷 / 拳; not an independent character in modern Chinese sound
- 刀 knife · dāo meaning
Structure from: 说文解字（券，契也。从刀，𠔉聲）；现代字形拆分 IDS ⿱龹刀，笔画核验 龹6 + 刀2 = 8（hanzi-writer-data）
Memory aid
龹 spreads open on top like a sheet of paper, and 刀 (a knife) waits right underneath it: a 券 is the slip you tear off along the cut — a ticket, a coupon, a voucher.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 优惠券yōu huì quàncoupon; discount voucher券 = quàn
- 债券zhài quànbond (financial security)券 = quàn
Go deeper
All readings
voucher; ticket
a voucher, ticket or certificate — a slip of paper that entitles the holder to something
票据；凭证。可以凭它换取商品、入场资格或收取利息的纸片，如优惠券、入场券、债券。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 优惠券yōu huì quàncoupon; discount voucher券 = quàn
- 债券zhài quànbond (financial security)券 = quàn
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 券 mean?
券 (quàn) means a voucher, ticket or certificate — a slip of paper that entitles the holder to something.
How do you pronounce 券?
It is pronounced quàn.
What parts is 券 made of?
龹 (shared upper component of 券 / 卷 / 拳; not an independent character in modern Chinese) and 刀 (knife), one above the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字（券，契也。从刀，𠔉聲）；现代字形拆分 IDS ⿱龹刀，笔画核验 龹6 + 刀2 = 8（hanzi-writer-data）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 券 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 券?
刀. 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 券?
Common ones are 优惠券 and 债券. The reading of 券 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.