悯 (mǐn) is a Chinese character meaning “to pity”. It is written from 忄 (heart (left-side form)) and 闵 (Min (a surname); sound part in 悯), side by side, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “to pity — a heart aching for someone”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
忄 + 闵
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：忄 3 画 + 闵 7 画 = 10 画；右侧 闵 mǐn 为声符，与 mǐn 读音完全一致）
Memory aid
The heart radical 忄 on the left says this is a feeling; 闵 on the right gives the sound, read exactly mǐn. A heart that aches for someone else's misfortune — that is pity.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 怜悯lián mǐnto pity; compassion悯 = mǐn
Go deeper
All readings
to pity
to pity; to feel compassion for; (literary) to grieve
对别人的不幸表示同情、哀怜；（书面）忧愁。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 怜悯lián mǐnto pity; compassion悯 = mǐn
Easy to confuse with
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 悯 mean?
悯 (mǐn) means to pity; to feel compassion for; (literary) to grieve.
How do you pronounce 悯?
It is pronounced mǐn.
What parts is 悯 made of?
忄 (heart (left-side form)) and 闵 (Min (a surname); sound part in 悯), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：忄 3 画 + 闵 7 画 = 10 画；右侧 闵 mǐn 为声符，与 mǐn 读音完全一致）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 悯 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 悯?
心. 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 悯?
Common ones are 怜悯. The reading of 悯 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.