The character 钱 — “money”: how to write it and what it means

钱
qián

money

10 strokes · HSK 1 · word page

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

Stroke order: how to write 钱

钱 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 钱, with strokes to trace and empty squares.

What 钱 is made of

On the left, 钅 “metal”.

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

Words with 钱

Frequently asked questions

How do you write the character 钱?

钱 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 钱 mean?

钱 means “money”. It appears in 价钱 (“price”), 零钱 (“change”), 零花钱 (“pocket money”), 压岁钱 (“New Year money for children”).

How do you pronounce 钱?

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

How many strokes does 钱 have?

10 strokes.

← 些 some少 few →

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 钱 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.

Start for free