紧 (jǐn) is a Chinese character meaning “tight”. It is written from 臤 (firm; hard — a hand (又) holding fast) and 糸 (silk; a twisted bundle of fine threads), one above the other, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “tight; tense; urgent”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
臤 + 糸
Top–bottom structure
- 臤 firm; hard — a hand (又) holding fast · qiān meaning
- 糸 silk; a twisted bundle of fine threads · mì meaning
Structure from: 说文解字 臤部：緊，纏絲急也。从臤，絲省。现代简化字形按 hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 笔画核验：前四笔为简化的「臤」（臣缩写成两竖 + 又），后六笔为「糸」
Memory aid
臤 — a hand gripping hard and not letting go — pulls on 糸, a bundle of silk threads. Threads pulled that hard are drawn taut: 紧 is tight.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 紧张jǐn zhāngnervous; tense; in short supply紧 = jǐn
- 赶紧gǎn jǐnhurriedly; without delay紧 = jǐnspoken asgán jǐn
- 紧急jǐn jíurgent; emergency紧 = jǐn
- 抓紧zhuā jǐnto grasp firmly; to lose no time in doing sth紧 = jǐnHSK 4
- 勒紧lēi jǐnto tighten (a strap, belt, etc.)紧 = jǐn
- 紧凑jǐn còucompact; tightly packed紧 = jǐn
- 紧绷jǐn bēngtaut; tense紧 = jǐn
Go deeper
All readings
tight
tight; taut; close; urgent; tense; short of money
物体受到拉力或压力后呈现的紧张状态，与「松」相对；也指靠得很近、急迫、经济不宽裕。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 紧张jǐn zhāngnervous; tense; in short supply紧 = jǐn
- 赶紧gǎn jǐnhurriedly; without delay紧 = jǐnspoken asgán jǐn
- 紧急jǐn jíurgent; emergency紧 = jǐn
- 抓紧zhuā jǐnto grasp firmly; to lose no time in doing sth紧 = jǐnHSK 4
- 勒紧lēi jǐnto tighten (a strap, belt, etc.)紧 = jǐn
- 紧凑jǐn còucompact; tightly packed紧 = jǐn
- 紧绷jǐn bēngtaut; tense紧 = jǐn
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 紧 mean?
紧 (jǐn) means tight; taut; close; urgent; tense; short of money.
How do you pronounce 紧?
It is pronounced jǐn.
What parts is 紧 made of?
臤 (firm; hard — a hand (又) holding fast) and 糸 (silk; a twisted bundle of fine threads), one above the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字 臤部：緊，纏絲急也。从臤，絲省。现代简化字形按 hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 笔画核验：前四笔为简化的「臤」（臣缩写成两竖 + 又），后六笔为「糸」. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 紧 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 紧?
糸. 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 紧?
Common ones are 紧张, 赶紧, 紧急. The reading of 紧 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.