The character 选 — “choose”: how to write it and what it means

选
xuǎn

choose

9 strokes · HSK 3 · word page

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

Stroke order: how to write 选

选 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 选, with strokes to trace and empty squares.

What 选 is made of

On the left, 辶 “walk”; inside, 先 xiān hints at the sound.

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

Words with 选

Frequently asked questions

How do you write the character 选?

选 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 选 mean?

选 means “choose”. It appears in 选择 (“choose”), 挑选 (“select”), 选手 (“contestant”), 选修 (“choose”).

How do you pronounce 选?

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

How many strokes does 选 have?

9 strokes.

← 其 his择 choose →

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 选 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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