HanziGuru.餐 · cān
餐
cān[can1]Tone 1

meal

HSK 2
Guru Deep Dive

English · meal

Cached lesson
1 / 1
Topology:Top-bottom
Strokes:16
Writing Balance Rule: The top component is wide and flat, while the bottom component (食) is broader and anchors the character. Keep vertical alignment centered.
1. Meaning

meal, food

to eatclassifier for meals
Noun / Verb / ClassifierNeutral#food#daily life#actions
Sample Usage
  • 你吃过早餐了吗？
    nǐ chī guò zǎocān le ma?
    Have you eaten breakfast yet?
  • 一天三餐
    yī tiān sān cān
    three meals a day
2. Sound
/[tsʰan⁵⁵]/Tone: 55
餐
cāncan1
++
¯(55)
=cān
Initial Consonant
c
Type: Aspirated Dental Sibilant
Sounds like: ts (ts sound with aspiration)
Aspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: Sharp burst of air through teeth! Tissue MUST flutter strongly.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Tongue tip touches the back of the upper front teeth, releasing a burst of air.
Final Rhyme
an
Vowel Group: -a vowel group
Sounds like: -an rhymes with 'un' in 'sun' but with an open 'ah' sound (-ahn)
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'ahn'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T1 (55)
1st Tone (High-Flat)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 1 is a high, level pitch (55) similar to humming a steady, high note on a musical scale or saying a prolonged 'Aaaah' at the doctor's office.
👂
Listening trap: Do not confuse 'cān' (strongly aspirated c-) with 'zān' (unaspirated z-). Ensure you let out a distinct puff of air.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: Imagine holding your hand steady at the very top of your head and singing a high, flat musical note. That is Tone 1.
3. Writing

Topology: Top-bottom · Strokes: 16 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The top component is wide and flat, while the bottom component (食) is broader and anchors the character. Keep vertical alignment centered.

4. Components

Radical 食 · Food radical (food, eating)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 食 (Indicates the meaning relates to food and eating)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 歺 (original sound: can / lie)

The top part (歺) gives the sound clue, while the bottom part (食) is the food radical, combining to mean a meal or eating.

  • 歺 Phonetic and historical remnant meaning a broken bone or remnant
  • 食 Semantic food radical representing eating
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally formed by combining a phonetic element with the food radical (食), representing the preparation or consumption of food.

Semantic Evolution: From general actions regarding food and eating to specifically denoting a 'meal' and serving as a classifier for meals.

  • The character groups together elements related to sustenance and daily nourishment.
6. Sinosphere
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: サン / Kun: 食事する
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
참
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story

At a restaurant, you use your chopsticks to grab a REMNANT (歺) of FOOD (食) for every MEAL (餐).

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
餐
cānmealBase character
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
参(cān)
参 lacks the food radical (食) at the bottom and relates to participation or ginseng.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
我每天早上吃西[___]。
Clue: cān
Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the bottom element with 良 or mixing up 餐 with 参 because of their similar top components.

Memory Prompts
Recognition: What does 餐 mean and how is it pronounced?
Production: How do you write the character for 'meal' (cān) using the food radical?
Real-World Video Context

Watch authentic native speakers pronounce and explain this word in real-world YouTube videos.

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