减 (jiǎn) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

减

jiǎn[jian3]Tone 3

to reduce

HSK 4

View Traditional FormSwitch to Traditional

減

Guru Deep Dive

English · to reduce

Cached lesson

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Topology:Left-right

Strokes:11

Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (氵) takes up about one-third of the width, while the right component (咸) occupies the remaining two-thirds with a balanced distribution of horizontal strokes.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 減 uses the same simplified right component 咸, maintaining structural consistency.

1. Meaning

to subtract or reduce

to lowerto decreaseto diminish

VerbNeutral#math#quantity#size

Sample Usage

减肥
jiǎnféi
to lose weight
减少
jiǎnshǎo
to decrease, to reduce

2. Sound

/[t͡ɕi̯än²¹⁴]/Tone: 214

减

jiǎnjian3

ˇ(214)

=jiǎn

Initial Consonant

Type: Unaspirated Alveolo-Palatal

Sounds like: j sound as in 'jeep' (alveolo-palatal affricate)

Unaspirated

Airflow Tactile Test: No air puff. Lips spread wide like smiling.

Tongue & Mouth Position: Blade of the tongue approaches the hard palate behind the alveolar ridge.

Final Rhyme

ian

Vowel Group: -a vowel group

Sounds like: -ian rhymes with 'yen' in English

Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'yen'.

Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.

Tone

T3 (214)

2 → 1 → 4 (214)

3rd Tone (Low-Dipping)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 3 dips low and rises, similar to asking a disbelieving question in English like 'Really?'

Sandhi: When followed by another 3rd tone syllable, jiǎn shifts to a 2nd tone (35).

👂

Listening trap: Do not confuse with jiān (Tone 1) or jiàn (Tone 4). The dipping Tone 3 requires a distinct downward dip and rise.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: Trace a checkmark in the air: start medium-high, dip down low to the left, and sweep upward to the right.

3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 11 strokes

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 減 uses the same simplified right component 咸, maintaining structural consistency.

4. Components

Radical 氵 · Water Radical (water, liquid)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 氵 (Water radical implies washing away, flowing away, or liquid level dropping.)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 咸 (original sound: xián)

Water (氵) plus all/complete (咸) gives the sense of water level dropping completely or washing away surplus to leave less.

氵 water / liquid
咸 all / phonetic clue for sound

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

11· Phonetic Root: 咸 (xián)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Combined from the water sign (氵) to indicate liquid level falling and the phonetic element 咸 (xián).

Semantic Evolution: Originally referred to water level decreasing or receding, later generalized to mean any form of reduction, subtraction, or lessening.

The phonetic component 咸 provides a rough phonetic hint while the water radical grounds the original concept in physical liquid decrease.

6. Sinosphere

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: ゲン / Kun: へ.る, へ.らす

🇰🇷

Hanja (Korean)

감

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

When the WATER (氵) ALL (咸) drains out of the pool, the water level completely REDUCES and subtracts down to zero!

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

咸

xiánall, saltyBase phonetic component without the water radical.

感

gǎnfeeling, emotionUses a heart component (心) at the bottom instead of water on the left.

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

加(jiā)

加 means to add (has the power/strength radical 力 on the right), whereas 减 means to subtract (has the water radical on the left).

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

买东西的时候，如果能打折就可以[___]少花钱。

Clue: jiǎn shǎo

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing 减 (jiǎn - to subtract) with 加 (jiā - to add) because of their opposite mathematical meanings and similarly shaped components.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: What does 减 mean and how is it pronounced with tones?

Production: How do you write the character for 'to reduce/subtract' (jiǎn)?

减jiǎnto reduce

Speed:

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