The character 眠 — “sleep”: how to write it and what it means

眠
mián

sleep

10 strokes · HSK 5

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

Stroke order: how to write 眠

眠 has 10 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 眠, with strokes to trace and empty squares.

What 眠 is made of

On the left, 目 “eye”: eyes closed. On the right, 民 mín hints at the reading.

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

Words with 眠

Frequently asked questions

How do you write the character 眠?

眠 has 10 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 眠 mean?

眠 means “sleep”. It appears in 睡眠 (“sleep”), 失眠 (“insomnia”).

How do you pronounce 眠?

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

How many strokes does 眠 have?

10 strokes.

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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 眠 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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