How to Write 残 (cán) — Meaning “remnant; incomplete; cruel”

Imagine a skeleton (歹) holding a tiny knife (戋) that is "cruel" and leaves only "remnants" behind. The small blade (戋) shows how something is cut down to a small, broken piece.

Make sure the left radical 歹 is not too wide — the cross stroke inside should be short, and the bottom stroke angles slightly left. The right part 戋 has two diagonal strokes (戈) that must cross properly; do not make them too big or the character will look unbalanced. Common mistake: writing the right side as 戈 alone instead of including the horizontal strokes.

残 (cán) means 'incomplete' or 'cruel,' while 歼 (jiān) means 'annihilate' and 殁 (mò) means 'die' (especially in old texts). Visually, 残 has the right side 戋 (with two diagonals), 歼 has 千 (qiān) on the right, and 殁 has 殳 (shū) on the right — note the different right-side components.

残 appears in words like 残疾 (disability) and 残酷 (cruel), so it often carries a negative tone about damage or harshness. In Chinese culture, 残 can also refer to 'leftover' food (残羹剩饭), reflecting a sense of waste or poverty. It is an HSK 6 character, used in formal writing, news, and literature.

Common words containing 残 include: 残疾 (cán jí) — disability; physical handicap; 残酷 (cán kù) — cruel; brutal; 残留 (cán liú) — to remain; residue.