The character 善 — “kind”: how to write it and what it means
kind; be good at
The Chinese character 善 is read shàn and means “kind; be good at”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 善
善 has 12 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 善, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 善 is made of
On top, 羊 “sheep”, as in 美 “beautiful”.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 善
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 善?
善 has 12 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 善 mean?
善 means “kind; be good at”. It appears in 善良 (“kind”), 善于 (“be skilled in”), 改善 (“improve”), 完善 (“perfect”).
How do you pronounce 善?
善 is read shàn. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 善 have?
12 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 善 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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