The character 寒 — “cold”: how to write it and what it means

寒
hán

cold, freezing

12 strokes · HSK 4

The Chinese character 寒 is read hán and means “cold, freezing”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.

Stroke order: how to write 寒

寒 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 寒, with strokes to trace and empty squares.

What 寒 is made of

On top, 宀 “roof”; at the bottom, two dots — “ice”, as in 冬.

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

Words with 寒

Frequently asked questions

How do you write the character 寒?

寒 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 寒 mean?

寒 means “cold, freezing”. It appears in 寒假 (“winter vacation”), 寒冷 (“cold”), 严寒 (“bitterly cold”), 寒冬 (“severe winter”).

How do you pronounce 寒?

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

How many strokes does 寒 have?

12 strokes.

← 消 vanish暑 heat →

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 寒 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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