How to Write 闪 (shǎn)
Detailed Mastery Guide for 闪
The character 闪 (Traditional: 閃) is a fundamental part of the Chinese language, representing "Lightning / Flash". In our Level 1 curriculum, we focus on the 10-step stroke sequence to ensure your handwriting is both fast and accurate.
Writing & Recognition
Proper stroke order is essential for character recognition and legibility. By following the animation above, you can see how the character is built from top to bottom and left to right. This character is often categorized under Nature & Elements, making it a versatile addition to your vocabulary.
Key Vocabulary
Radical Breakdown
Breaking it down: The character 闪 is built on the radical Gate (9), 门. Understanding radicals like this is a proven technique for accelerating vocabulary acquisition.
Etymology & Origins
A phono-semantic compound where 门 (door) acts as the frame and 人 (person) acts as the phonetic/semantic component, depicting a person appearing and disappearing quickly at a door.
Example Sentence
Simplified: 天空突然闪过一道闪电。
Tiānkōng tūrán shǎnguò yīdào shǎndiàn.
Traditional: 天空突然閃過一道閃電。
Tin1 hung1 dat1 jin4 sim2 gwo3 jat1 dou6 sim2 din6.
"A flash of lightning suddenly streaked across the sky."
Dialect Pronunciation
In Mandarin, this character is pronounced as shǎn. If you are learning Cantonese, the pronunciation is sim2. Use the audio buttons to hear the subtle tonal differences between the two major Chinese dialects.
Practice & Retention
To move this character from short-term to long-term memory, we recommend using our free practice sheet generator. Writing the character 10-15 times while following the correct sequence is a proven method for mastery.
Quick Self-Check
What is the meaning of '闪'?
Other Characters in Level 1 Unit 2
Hope this tool helps your Chinese learning journey!
We built this site to ensure everyone has access to free stroke order visualizers without annoying paywalls or trial limits. If you find it helpful, supporting us on Ko-fi helps keep the site running!
☕ Support Us on Ko-fi