The character 间 — “interval”: how to write it and what it means
interval; room
The Chinese character 间 is read jiān and means “interval; room”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 间
间 has 7 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 间, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 间 is made of
A 门 “door” with the 日 “sun” showing through the gap.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 间
- 时间timeHSK 1
- 房间roomHSK 1
- 洗手间restroomHSK 2
- 中间middle, betweenHSK 3
- 卫生间bathroomHSK 3
- 之间betweenHSK 4
- 时间表schedule, timetableHSK 4
- 空间spaceHSK 5
- 夜间nighttimeHSK 5
- 期间period, duringHSK 5
- 瞬间instant; instantlyHSK 6
- 间隔interval, gap; separateHSK 6
- 其间during this period, meanwhileHSK 6
- 间接indirectHSK 6
- 民间folk; among the peopleHSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 间?
间 has 7 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 间 mean?
间 means “interval; room”. It appears in 时间 (“time”), 房间 (“room”), 洗手间 (“restroom”), 中间 (“middle”).
How do you pronounce 间?
间 is read jiān. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 间 have?
7 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 间 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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