残 (cán) is a Chinese character meaning “damaged”. It is written from 歹 (bad; evil) and 戋 (tiny, small amount; the sound part of 浅, 钱, 线), side by side, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “incomplete; left over”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
歹 + 戋
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分，以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：9 画 = 歹 4 画 + 戋 5 画；部首取康熙 78 歹部；声符依据《说文解字》「殘，賊也。从歺戔聲」，现代读音一致度另行实测（戋 jiān / 残 cán）
Memory aid
歹 is harm and death on the left; 戋 on the right means a tiny amount. After the harm (歹), only a tiny bit (戋) is left — what remains is damaged and incomplete.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 残忍cán rěncruel; ruthless残 = cánHSK 6
- 残余cán yúremnant; remains; leftover残 = cán
- 残疾cán jídisability残 = cán
Go deeper
All readings
incomplete; remaining
damaged; incomplete; remaining, left over; to injure; cruel
不完整的、有损坏的；剩下的；也指伤害或凶狠。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 残忍cán rěncruel; ruthless残 = cánHSK 6
- 残余cán yúremnant; remains; leftover残 = cán
- 残疾cán jídisability残 = cán
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 残 mean?
残 (cán) means damaged; incomplete; remaining, left over; to injure; cruel.
How do you pronounce 残?
It is pronounced cán.
What parts is 残 made of?
歹 (bad; evil) and 戋 (tiny, small amount; the sound part of 浅, 钱, 线), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分，以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：9 画 = 歹 4 画 + 戋 5 画；部首取康熙 78 歹部；声符依据《说文解字》「殘，賊也。从歺戔聲」，现代读音一致度另行实测（戋 jiān / 残 cán）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 残 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 残?
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 残?
Common ones are 残忍 and 残余. The reading of 残 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.