沦 (lún) is a Chinese character meaning “to sink”. It is written from 氵 (water (left-side form)) and 仑 (orderly arrangement; also the sound part lún in 伦, 论, 沦, 抡), side by side, and takes 7 strokes.
Build the character for “to sink”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
氵 + 仑
Left–right structure
- 氵 water (left-side form) · shuǐ meaning
- 仑 orderly arrangement; also the sound part lún in 伦, 论, 沦, 抡 · lún sound
Structure from: 现代字形拆分，以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：7 画 = 氵 3 画 + 仑 4 画；部首取康熙 85 水部；声符判断只依据实测现代读音（仑 lún / 沦 lún 声母、韵母、声调全同）
Memory aid
Water (氵) rising over something orderly (仑): whatever was neatly arranged goes under and sinks away. Both parts really are in this character.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 沦陷lún xiànto fall into enemy hands沦 = lún
- 沉沦chén lúnto sink into (a bad state)沦 = lún
Go deeper
All readings
to sink
to sink; to be submerged; to fall into (a bad state)
沉没；陷落；落到不好的境地。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 沦陷lún xiànto fall into enemy hands沦 = lún
- 沉沦chén lúnto sink into (a bad state)沦 = lún
Sound component
仑 family exact
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 沦 mean?
沦 (lún) means to sink; to be submerged; to fall into (a bad state).
How do you pronounce 沦?
It is pronounced lún.
What parts is 沦 made of?
氵 (water (left-side form)) and 仑 (orderly arrangement; also the sound part lún in 伦, 论, 沦, 抡), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分，以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：7 画 = 氵 3 画 + 仑 4 画；部首取康熙 85 水部；声符判断只依据实测现代读音（仑 lún / 沦 lún 声母、韵母、声调全同）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 沦 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 沦?
氵. 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 沦?
Common ones are 沦陷 and 沉沦. The reading of 沦 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.