歼 (jiān) is a Chinese character meaning “to annihilate”. It is written from 歹 (bad; evil) and 千 (thousand), side by side, and takes 7 strokes.
Build the character for “to annihilate”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
歹 + 千
Left–right structure
Structure from: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（简化字「歼」；对照 hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 笔画：4 画歹 + 3 画千 = 7 画，逐笔对应）
Memory aid
The death radical 歹 stands to the left of 千 ("thousand"): a thousand of them wiped out. Both parts really are in this character.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 歼灭jiān mièto annihilate; to wipe out (an enemy force)歼 = jiān
Go deeper
All readings
to annihilate
to annihilate; to wipe out; to destroy (an enemy force)
消灭，多指消灭敌人。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 歼灭jiān mièto annihilate; to wipe out (an enemy force)歼 = jiān
Sound component
千 family onset shift
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 歼 mean?
歼 (jiān) means to annihilate; to wipe out; to destroy (an enemy force).
How do you pronounce 歼?
It is pronounced jiān.
What parts is 歼 made of?
歹 (bad; evil) and 千 (thousand), side by side. The recorded source is: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（简化字「歼」；对照 hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 笔画：4 画歹 + 3 画千 = 7 画，逐笔对应）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 歼 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 歼?
歹. 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 歼?
Common ones are 歼灭. The reading of 歼 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.