How to Write 惭 (cán) — Meaning “ashamed”

Imagine your heart (忄) is being chopped (斩) by shame. The pinyin "cán" sounds like "can't" — when you feel ashamed, you can't look people in the eye. This links the sound and meaning to the shape.

The left radical 忄 has a correct order: first the left dot, then the right dot, then the vertical stroke. The right part 斩 should be slightly wider than the left. A common mistake is to make the heart radical too large or misplace the two dots.

All three share the heart radical 忄, but their right sides differ. 惭 has 斩 (chopping) and means ashamed; 恃 has 寺 (temple) and means to rely on; 恂 has 旬 (ten days) and means sincere or fearful. Visually, 惭 uses more strokes on the right and is pronounced cán, not xún or shì.

惭 is used in formal or written Chinese to express shame, often in the word 惭愧 (cán kuì), meaning 'ashamed' or 'embarrassed'. It is a humble expression, like saying 'I feel ashamed' when receiving a compliment. This character is not in HSK but is common in classical phrases and polite language.

Common words containing 惭 include: 惭愧 (cán kuì) — ashamed; 羞惭 (xiū cán) — ashamed; 惭色 (cán sè) — look of shame.