贱 (jiàn) is a Chinese character meaning “low in price”. It is written from 贝 (shell) and 戋 (tiny, small amount; the sound part of 浅, 钱, 线), side by side, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “cheap; lowly”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
贝 + 戋
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字：賤，賈少也。从貝戔聲；并与 hanzi-writer-data 现代字形核验（9 画 = 贝 4 画 + 戋 5 画）；部首取康熙 154 貝部；声符一致度依据实测现代读音（戋 jiān / 贱 jiàn，声母韵母相同，仅声调不同）
Memory aid
A shell (贝), the old word for money, beside 戋, the part that means "a tiny amount": it costs only a few shells — cheap, and of low worth.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 贵贱guì jiànexpensive or cheap; high or low in status贱 = jiàn
- 低贱dī jiànlowly; humble; of low status贱 = jiàn
Go deeper
All readings
cheap; lowly
low in price; cheap; low in status; lowly; base, despicable
价钱低；地位低下；也指卑劣、不自重。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 贵贱guì jiànexpensive or cheap; high or low in status贱 = jiàn
- 低贱dī jiànlowly; humble; of low status贱 = jiàn
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 贱 mean?
贱 (jiàn) means low in price; cheap; low in status; lowly; base, despicable.
How do you pronounce 贱?
It is pronounced jiàn.
What parts is 贱 made of?
贝 (shell) and 戋 (tiny, small amount; the sound part of 浅, 钱, 线), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字：賤，賈少也。从貝戔聲；并与 hanzi-writer-data 现代字形核验（9 画 = 贝 4 画 + 戋 5 画）；部首取康熙 154 貝部；声符一致度依据实测现代读音（戋 jiān / 贱 jiàn，声母韵母相同，仅声调不同）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 贱 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 贱?
贝. 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 贱?
Common ones are 贵贱 and 低贱. The reading of 贱 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.