The character 冠 — “first place”: how to write it and what it means

冠
guàn

first place, champion

9 strokes · HSK 5

The Chinese character 冠 is read guàn and means “first place, champion”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.

Stroke order: how to write 冠

冠 has 9 strokes. At each step the new stroke is highlighted — write them in the same order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical, a frame before what is inside it, and the bottom stroke of the frame last.

To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for 冠, with strokes to trace and empty squares.

What 冠 is made of

On top, 冖 “cover”; under it, 元 “head” and 寸 “hand”: putting on a cap. Second reading: guān, “cap, crown”.

The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.

Words with 冠

Frequently asked questions

How do you write the character 冠?

冠 has 9 strokes. They follow the usual rules: top to bottom, left to right, horizontal before vertical, outside before inside. The order of each stroke is shown on this page.

What does 冠 mean?

冠 means “first place, champion”. It appears in 冠军 (“champion”).

How do you pronounce 冠?

冠 is read guàn. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.

How many strokes does 冠 have?

9 strokes.

← 胜 win军 army →

More characters on the page “Chinese characters with meanings” and in the list of HSK characters by level; whole words are in the dictionary.

Write 冠 yourself

In the lessons you write characters stroke by stroke with a finger or a mouse, and the course checks the order. You can start for free, no sign-up needed.

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