涣 (huàn) is a Chinese character meaning “to melt away”. It is written from 氵 (water (left-side form)) and 奂 (splendid; sound component huàn (as in 换, 唤, 焕)), side by side, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “to dissipate”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
氵 + 奂
Left–right structure
- 氵 water (left-side form) · shuǐ meaning
- 奂 splendid; sound component huàn (as in 换, 唤, 焕) · huàn sound
Structure from: 说文解字: 涣，流散也。从水奐聲；studyhanzi 构形核验 (hanzi-writer-data 笔画分组: 氵 3 画 + 奂 7 画 = 10 画)
Memory aid
Water (氵) bursting out in a splendid (奂) spray scatters everywhere — that is 涣, to dissipate. 奂 also lends its sound: huàn.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 涣散huàn sànslack; lax; (of morale, attention or organization) scattered and unfocused涣 = huàn
Go deeper
All readings
to dissipate; to scatter
to melt away; to dissipate; to scatter; (of morale or discipline) to become slack
水流散开；泛指消散、离散，也指精神、组织松散。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 涣散huàn sànslack; lax; (of morale, attention or organization) scattered and unfocused涣 = huàn
Sound component
奂 family exact
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 涣 mean?
涣 (huàn) means to melt away; to dissipate; to scatter; (of morale or discipline) to become slack.
How do you pronounce 涣?
It is pronounced huàn.
What parts is 涣 made of?
氵 (water (left-side form)) and 奂 (splendid; sound component huàn (as in 换, 唤, 焕)), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字: 涣，流散也。从水奐聲；studyhanzi 构形核验 (hanzi-writer-data 笔画分组: 氵 3 画 + 奂 7 画 = 10 画). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 涣 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 涣?
水. 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 涣?
Common ones are 涣散. The reading of 涣 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.