浅 (qiǎn) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

浅

qiǎn[qian3]Tone 3

shallow

HSK 4

View Traditional FormSwitch to Traditional

淺

Multiple Readings (多音字):

Guru Deep Dive

English · shallow

Cached lesson

1 / 1

Topology:Left-right

Strokes:8

Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (氵) takes up about one-third of the width, while the right component (戋) occupies the remaining two-thirds, keeping the overall structure balanced.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 淺 uses 戋 on the right; the simplified form 浅 retains this exact right-hand component with the standard three-stroke water radical on the left.

1. Meaning

shallow

light (color)superficialsimple

AdjectiveNeutral#depth#color#abstract quality

Sample Usage

这条河很浅。
Zhè tiáo hé hěn qiǎn.
This river is very shallow.
我喜欢浅蓝色。
Wǒ xǐhuan qiǎn lán sè.
I like light blue.

2. Sound

/[t͡ɕʰi̯ɛn²¹⁴]/Tone: 214

浅

qiǎnqian3

ˇ(214)

=qiǎn

Initial Consonant

Type: Aspirated Alveolo-Palatal

Sounds like: ch sound produced with the tongue flat behind lower teeth

Aspirated

Airflow Tactile Test: Extremely strong burst of breath! Tissue held before mouth MUST fly.

Tongue & Mouth Position: Blade of the tongue approaches the hard palate, releasing a strong puff of air.

Final Rhyme

ian

Vowel Group: -a vowel group

Sounds like: rhymes with 'yen'

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

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

Abbreviated Rhyme Rule: The -ian final contains an open front unrounded vowel preceded by a front high glide.

Tone

T3 (214)

2 → 1 → 4 (214)

3rd Tone (Low-Dipping)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 3 dips low and rises back up, similar to a skeptical English 'Really?' or 'Huh?'.

Sandhi: When followed by another 3rd tone syllable, qiǎn changes to a 2nd tone (rising 35), e.g., 浅水 qiǎnshuǐ becomes qiánshuǐ in rapid speech.

👂

Listening trap: Confusing qiǎn with qiān (Tone 1, high level) or qián (Tone 2, rising). Pay close attention to the dipping and rising pitch of Tone 3.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: Hand moves downward and then curves upward like a checkmark or valley, matching the low dipping contour of Tone 3.

3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 8 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (氵) takes up about one-third of the width, while the right component (戋) occupies the remaining two-thirds, keeping the overall structure balanced.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 淺 uses 戋 on the right; the simplified form 浅 retains this exact right-hand component with the standard three-stroke water radical on the left.

4. Components

Radical 氵 · Water Radical (water, liquid)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 氵 (Indicates that the original meaning relates to water depth.)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 戋 (original sound: jiān / qiǎn)

Water (氵) combined with a phonetic element meaning small or fragmented (戋) creates a picture of water that is sparse or shallow.

氵 Water semantic clue
戋 Phonetic and structural clue

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

9· Phonetic Root: 戋 (jiān)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally formed to describe water levels that are low, combining the water radical with a phonetic component representing reduction or scarcity.

Semantic Evolution: Expanded from describing physical water depth to describing colors (light/diluted color) and abstract concepts (superficial knowledge).

The right component 戋 implies smallness or dwindling quantities.

6. Sinosphere

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: セン / Kun: あさ.い

🇰🇷

Hanja (Korean)

천

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

Imagine wading into WATER (氵) that is so SHALLOW you can easily count the small stones (戋) on the riverbed, and the water is so clear it looks LIGHT in color.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

钱

qiánmoneyMetal radical (钅) + 戋 = money (metal coins).

线

xiànthread, lineSilk radical (纟) + 戋 = thread or line.

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

钱(qián)

钱 uses the metal radical (钅) for money, whereas 浅 uses the water radical (氵) for shallow depth.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

这条小河很[___]，小孩子可以直接走过去。

Clue: qiǎn

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the tone (Tone 3 qiǎn vs. Tone 1 qiān or Tone 2 qián) and mixing up the left radical with similar components like metal (钅) or silk (纟).

Memory Prompts

Recognition: What does 浅 mean when describing a river or a color?

Production: How do you write the character for 'shallow' (qiǎn) using a water radical?

浅qiǎnshallow

Speed:

Searching YouTube for native pronunciation videos...

0 / 0