The character 软 — “soft”: how to write it and what it means

软
ruǎn

soft

8 strokes · HSK 5 · word page

The Chinese character 软 is read ruǎn and means “soft”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.

Stroke order: how to write 软

软 has 8 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 软, with strokes to trace and empty squares.

What 软 is made of

The opposite of 硬 “hard”: 软件 — software, 硬件 — hardware.

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

Words with 软

Frequently asked questions

How do you write the character 软?

软 has 8 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 软 mean?

软 means “soft”. It appears in 软件 (“software”), 柔软 (“soft”).

How do you pronounce 软?

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

How many strokes does 软 have?

8 strokes.

← 薄 thin硬 hard →

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 软 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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