玄 (xuán) is a Chinese character meaning “deep and hard to fathom”. It is written from 亠 (lid) and 幺 (tiny; a small coil of silk), one above the other, and takes 5 strokes.
Build the character for “mysterious; dark”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
亠 + 幺
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（笔画核验：亠 2 画 + 幺 3 画 = 玄 5 画，hanzi-writer-data）
Memory aid
A lid (亠) laid over a tiny coil of silk (幺). Both parts are really in this character. Something small, tucked away under a cover, too dark to make out — that is 玄.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
5 strokes
In real words
- 玄关xuán guānentryway; foyer玄 = xuán
- 玄妙xuán miàomysterious and profound玄 = xuán
Go deeper
All readings
mysterious; dark
deep and hard to fathom; mysterious; also the dark red-black colour
深奥难懂的；也指黑中带红的颜色。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 玄关xuán guānentryway; foyer玄 = xuán
- 玄妙xuán miàomysterious and profound玄 = xuán
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 玄 mean?
玄 (xuán) means deep and hard to fathom; mysterious; also the dark red-black colour.
How do you pronounce 玄?
It is pronounced xuán.
What parts is 玄 made of?
亠 (lid) and 幺 (tiny; a small coil of silk), one above the other. The recorded source is: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（笔画核验：亠 2 画 + 幺 3 画 = 玄 5 画，hanzi-writer-data）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 玄 have?
5. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 玄?
玄. 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 玄?
Common ones are 玄关 and 玄妙. The reading of 玄 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.