The character 钻 — “drill”: how to write it and what it means
drill; squeeze through
The Chinese character 钻 is read zuān and means “drill; squeeze through”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 钻
钻 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 钻, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 钻 is made of
On the left, 钅 “metal”: a drill. On the right, 占. In the sense “drill bit, diamond” it is read zuàn.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 钻?
钻 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 钻 mean?
钻 means “drill; squeeze through”.
How do you pronounce 钻?
钻 is read zuān. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 钻 have?
10 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 钻 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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