圈 (quān) is a Chinese character meaning “circle”. It is written from 囗 (enclosure, surrounding frame) and 卷 (roll; to roll up (also the sound part of 倦 / 圈)), one enclosing the other, and takes 11 strokes. It has a second reading, juàn, which turns up in 猪圈 — here the two readings are two separate things to learn, not one card with two answers.
Build the character for “circle”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
囗 + 卷
Enclosing structure
- 囗 enclosure, surrounding frame · wéi meaning
- 卷 roll; to roll up (also the sound part of 倦 / 圈) · juǎn sound
Structure from: 说文解字: 圈，養畜之閑也。从囗卷聲; modern form ⿴囗卷 cross-checked against hanzi-writer-data (囗 3 + 卷 8 = 圈 11)
Memory aid
Roll something up (卷) and it curls into a loop; draw a frame (囗) around it and you have a ring — a circle.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 圆圈yuán quāncircle; ring圈 = quān
- 圈子quān zicircle (of people); ring圈 = quān
Go deeper
All readings
circle; ring
circle; ring; loop; to draw a circle around; circle (of people)
圆形或环形的东西；在周围画圈；也指人的活动范围或集体。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 圆圈yuán quāncircle; ring圈 = quān
- 圈子quān zicircle (of people); ring圈 = quān
pen; fold (for animals)
pen, fold or sty for keeping livestock
养家畜的棚栏。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 猪圈zhū juànpigsty; pig pen圈 = juàn
Sound component
卷 family onset shift
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 圈 mean?
圈 (quān) means circle; ring; loop; to draw a circle around; circle (of people).
How do you pronounce 圈?
Its main reading is quān. It also has a second reading, juàn, which only shows up in certain words such as 猪圈 — so the word tells you the reading, not the character on its own.
Why is 圈 sometimes pronounced juàn?
Because it is a multi-reading character: each reading carries a different sense, and the word decides which one applies. In 猪圈 it is read juàn.
What parts is 圈 made of?
囗 (enclosure, surrounding frame) and 卷 (roll; to roll up (also the sound part of 倦 / 圈)), one enclosing the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字: 圈，養畜之閑也。从囗卷聲; modern form ⿴囗卷 cross-checked against hanzi-writer-data (囗 3 + 卷 8 = 圈 11). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 圈 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 圈?
囗. 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 圈?
Common ones are 圆圈 and 圈子. The reading of 圈 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.