The character 鲜 — “fresh”: how to write it and what it means

鲜
xiān

fresh

14 strokes · HSK 3 · word page

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

Stroke order: how to write 鲜

鲜 has 14 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 鲜, with strokes to trace and empty squares.

What 鲜 is made of

On the left, 鱼 “fish”; on the right, 羊 “ram”.

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

Words with 鲜

Frequently asked questions

How do you write the character 鲜?

鲜 has 14 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 鲜 mean?

鲜 means “fresh”. It appears in 新鲜 (“fresh”), 鲜花 (“fresh flowers”), 海鲜 (“seafood”), 鲜艳 (“bright”).

How do you pronounce 鲜?

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

How many strokes does 鲜 have?

14 strokes.

← 甜 sweet香 fragrant →

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 鲜 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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