线 (xiàn) is a Chinese character meaning “thread”. It is written from 纟 (silk; thread (left-side form)) and 戋 (tiny, small amount; the sound part of 浅, 钱, 线), side by side, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “thread; line; wire”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
纟 + 戋
Left–right structure
- 纟 silk; thread (left-side form) · sī meaning
- 戋 tiny, small amount; the sound part of 浅, 钱, 线 · jiān sound
Structure from: 说文解字「綫，縷也。从糸戔聲」（线 为 綫/線 的简化字，声符 戔 简化作 戋）；IDS 拆分 ⿰纟戋，并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–2 为「纟」，笔画 3–7 与「戋」逐笔对应（3+5=8画）
Memory aid
Silk (纟) on the left says what this thing is made of; 戋 on the right is the sound part (jiān → xiàn) and by itself means "tiny". Silk pulled out tiny and long is a thread — and a thread is a line.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 电线diàn xiànelectric wire; power line线 = xiàn
- 路线lù xiànroute; itinerary; line (of travel)线 = xiàn
- 曲线qū xiàncurve; curved line线 = xiàn
- 弧线hú xiànarc; a curved line线 = xiàn
- 捻线niǎn xiànto twist thread; to spin yarn by hand线 = xiàn
- 线索xiàn suǒclue; lead线 = xiàn
Go deeper
All readings
thread; line
thread; string; wire; line; route
用丝、棉、金属等做成的细长的东西；也指细长像线一样的东西，或行进的路径。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 电线diàn xiànelectric wire; power line线 = xiàn
- 路线lù xiànroute; itinerary; line (of travel)线 = xiàn
- 曲线qū xiàncurve; curved line线 = xiàn
- 弧线hú xiànarc; a curved line线 = xiàn
- 捻线niǎn xiànto twist thread; to spin yarn by hand线 = xiàn
- 线索xiàn suǒclue; lead线 = xiàn
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 线 mean?
线 (xiàn) means thread; string; wire; line; route.
How do you pronounce 线?
It is pronounced xiàn.
What parts is 线 made of?
纟 (silk; thread (left-side form)) and 戋 (tiny, small amount; the sound part of 浅, 钱, 线), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字「綫，縷也。从糸戔聲」（线 为 綫/線 的简化字，声符 戔 简化作 戋）；IDS 拆分 ⿰纟戋，并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–2 为「纟」，笔画 3–7 与「戋」逐笔对应（3+5=8画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 线 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 线?
纟. 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 线?
Common ones are 电线 and 路线. The reading of 线 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.