变 (biàn) is a Chinese character meaning “to change”. It is written from 亦 (also; too) and 又 (again), one above the other, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “to change”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
亦 + 又
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分（依 hanzi-writer-data 八笔笔顺核验：亦=第1–6笔，又=第7–8笔）
Memory aid
The top piece 亦 ("also") sits over 又 ("again"). Also again, also again — do the same thing one more time and it never comes out quite the same: it has changed.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 变化biàn huàchange; variation变 = biàn
- 改变gǎi biànto change变 = biànHSK 3
- 戊戌变法wù xū biàn fǎthe Hundred Days' Reform of 1898变 = biàn
Go deeper
All readings
to change
to change; to become different; to transform; change (noun)
事物的性质、状态或形态跟原来不一样；使不一样。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 变化biàn huàchange; variation变 = biàn
- 改变gǎi biànto change变 = biànHSK 3
- 戊戌变法wù xū biàn fǎthe Hundred Days' Reform of 1898变 = biàn
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 变 mean?
变 (biàn) means to change; to become different; to transform; change (noun).
How do you pronounce 变?
It is pronounced biàn.
What parts is 变 made of?
亦 (also; too) and 又 (again), one above the other. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分（依 hanzi-writer-data 八笔笔顺核验：亦=第1–6笔，又=第7–8笔）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 变 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 变?
又. 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 变?
Common ones are 变化 and 改变. The reading of 变 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.