敏 (mǐn) is a Chinese character meaning “quick”. It is written from 每 (every; each) and 攵 (a hand holding a stick; marks an action done to something), side by side, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “quick; sensitive”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
每 + 攵
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分，经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数据核验（每7画 + 攵4画 = 11画）；声符归属见《说文解字》「敏：疾也。从攴每聲」
Memory aid
每 means every; 攵 is the hand with a stick that acts. A hand that acts at every chance, without waiting — quick and sharp.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 敏感mǐn gǎnsensitive; susceptible敏 = mǐnspoken asmín gǎn
- 过敏guò mǐnallergy; allergic; oversensitive敏 = mǐn
- 敏捷mǐn jiéagile; nimble; quick敏 = mǐn
Go deeper
All readings
quick; sensitive
quick; nimble; agile; clever; sensitive
反应快，灵活；感觉灵敏。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 敏感mǐn gǎnsensitive; susceptible敏 = mǐnspoken asmín gǎn
- 过敏guò mǐnallergy; allergic; oversensitive敏 = mǐn
- 敏捷mǐn jiéagile; nimble; quick敏 = mǐn
Sound component
每 family diverged
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 敏 mean?
敏 (mǐn) means quick; nimble; agile; clever; sensitive.
How do you pronounce 敏?
It is pronounced mǐn.
What parts is 敏 made of?
每 (every; each) and 攵 (a hand holding a stick; marks an action done to something), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分，经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数据核验（每7画 + 攵4画 = 11画）；声符归属见《说文解字》「敏：疾也。从攴每聲」. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 敏 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 敏?
攵. 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 敏?
Common ones are 敏感, 过敏, 敏捷. The reading of 敏 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.