The character 献 — “offer”: how to write it and what it means
offer, present
The Chinese character 献 is read xiàn and means “offer, present”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 献
献 has 13 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 献, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 献 is made of
On the right, 犬 “dog”: in ancient times dogs were offered as sacrifices. On the left, 南.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 献
- 贡献contribution; contributeHSK 5
- 文献literature (scientific), sourcesHSK 6
- 奉献devote oneself, sacrificeHSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 献?
献 has 13 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 献 mean?
献 means “offer, present”. It appears in 贡献 (“contribution”), 文献 (“literature”), 奉献 (“devote oneself”).
How do you pronounce 献?
献 is read xiàn. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 献 have?
13 strokes.
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 献 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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