涧 (jiàn) is a Chinese character meaning “a stream or brook running between mountains”. It is written from 氵 (water (left-side form)) and 间 (space between; room; interval), side by side, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “mountain stream”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
氵 + 间
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字「澗，山夾水也。从水閒聲」；IDS 拆分 ⿰氵间（间 = ⿵门日），并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–2 为「氵」，笔画 3–5 为「门」，笔画 6–9 为「日」（3+7=10画）
Memory aid
Water (氵) flowing in the gap between (间) two mountains — a mountain stream. 间 also lends its sound: jiàn.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 山涧shān jiànmountain stream; ravine stream涧 = jiàn
- 溪涧xī jiànbrook; mountain stream涧 = jiàn
Go deeper
All readings
mountain stream
a stream or brook running between mountains; ravine
夹在两山之间的水流；山沟。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 山涧shān jiànmountain stream; ravine stream涧 = jiàn
- 溪涧xī jiànbrook; mountain stream涧 = jiàn
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 涧 mean?
涧 (jiàn) means a stream or brook running between mountains; ravine.
How do you pronounce 涧?
It is pronounced jiàn.
What parts is 涧 made of?
氵 (water (left-side form)) and 间 (space between; room; interval), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字「澗，山夾水也。从水閒聲」；IDS 拆分 ⿰氵间（间 = ⿵门日），并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–2 为「氵」，笔画 3–5 为「门」，笔画 6–9 为「日」（3+7=10画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 涧 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 涧?
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 涧?
Common ones are 山涧 and 溪涧. The reading of 涧 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.