幻 (huàn) is a Chinese character meaning “unreal”. It is written from 幺 (tiny; a coil of silk thread) and ㇆ (horizontal-turning hook stroke), side by side, and takes 4 strokes.
Build the character for “illusory”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
幺 + ㇆
Left–right structure
Structure from: hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（现代字形拆分：幺 3 画 + 横折钩 1 画）
Memory aid
A thin coil of silk (幺) with one hooked stroke (㇆) curling away from it. Reach for it and the thread pulls back — 幻 is what looks real but isn't.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
4 strokes
In real words
- 幻想huàn xiǎngfantasy; to daydream幻 = huàn
Go deeper
All readings
illusory
unreal; illusory; imagined; magical
空虚而不真实的；变化不定的。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 幻想huàn xiǎngfantasy; to daydream幻 = huàn
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 幻 mean?
幻 (huàn) means unreal; illusory; imagined; magical.
How do you pronounce 幻?
It is pronounced huàn.
What parts is 幻 made of?
幺 (tiny; a coil of silk thread) and ㇆ (horizontal-turning hook stroke), side by side. The recorded source is: hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（现代字形拆分：幺 3 画 + 横折钩 1 画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 幻 have?
4. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 幻?
幺. 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 幻?
Common ones are 幻想. The reading of 幻 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.