How to Write 忏 (chàn) — Meaning “to repent; to confess”

Imagine a person with a thousand (千) worries in their heart (忄), so they decide to confess and repent. The image of a heavy heart carrying a thousand burdens helps link the shape to the meaning of repentance.

Start with the vertical stroke on the left (忄), writing the two dots from top to bottom, then the vertical line. The right side 千 has a short left-leaning stroke at top, a horizontal line, and a vertical hook down the middle. Be careful not to make the vertical hook too long or the character unbalanced.

忆 (yì) means to remember and uses 乙 (yǐ) as its right component, while 忉 (dāo) means grieved and uses 刀 (dāo, knife). 忏 instead uses 千 (qiān) and specifically relates to repentance or confession. Visually, the right side of 忏 has a horizontal stroke and a vertical hook, unlike the curved stroke of 乙 or the knife radical of 忉.

忏 appears most often in the common word 忏悔 (chàn huǐ), meaning to repent or confess one's sins, and is frequently used in religious or moral contexts. In Buddhism, 忏悔 is a formal practice of acknowledging wrongdoing. The character is also seen in titles like 忏悔录 (Confessions) for autobiographical works of remorse.

Common words containing 忏 include: 忏悔 (chàn huǐ) — to repent; to confess; 忏悔录 (chàn huǐ lù) — Confessions; 忏悔心 (chàn huǐ xīn) — Remorseful heart.