绢 (juàn) is a Chinese character meaning “thin, tough plain-woven silk”. It is written from 纟 (silk; thread (left-side form)) and 肙 (yuān — sound component (口 over 月)), side by side, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “thin silk”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
纟 + 肙
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字: 絹，繒如麥䅌。从糸肙聲（现代字形对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画：纟 3 画 + 肙 7 画 = 10 画；声符判断依据实测现代读音：肙 yuān / 绢 juàn，韵母同为 -uan，声母 y→j，声调 1→4）
Memory aid
Silk thread (纟) beside 肙 — a thin piece of silk fabric: the kind of silk a handkerchief (手绢) is made of.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 手绢shǒu juànhandkerchief绢 = juàn
- 丝绢sī juànthin silk fabric绢 = juàn
Go deeper
All readings
thin silk
thin, tough plain-woven silk; silk fabric; handkerchief (in 手绢)
一种薄而坚韧的丝织品。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 手绢shǒu juànhandkerchief绢 = juàn
- 丝绢sī juànthin silk fabric绢 = juàn
Sound component
肙 family onset shift
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 绢 mean?
绢 (juàn) means thin, tough plain-woven silk; silk fabric; handkerchief (in 手绢).
How do you pronounce 绢?
It is pronounced juàn.
What parts is 绢 made of?
纟 (silk; thread (left-side form)) and 肙 (yuān — sound component (口 over 月)), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字: 絹，繒如麥䅌。从糸肙聲（现代字形对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画：纟 3 画 + 肙 7 画 = 10 画；声符判断依据实测现代读音：肙 yuān / 绢 juàn，韵母同为 -uan，声母 y→j，声调 1→4）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 绢 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 绢?
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 绢?
Common ones are 手绢 and 丝绢. The reading of 绢 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.