How to Write 戋 (jiān) — Meaning “small; tiny”

Imagine two small dagger-axes (戈) stacked on top of each other, and think "two tiny weapons make a tiny 戋." The visual of a double weapon, each already small, emphasizes the meaning of "very small." You can also associate it with the word "tiny" because the character looks like a small, compact shape.

戋 has 5 strokes: horizontal (一), left-slanting hook (㇂), left-falling (丿), dot (丶), and a final left-falling (丿). The two left-falling strokes should be parallel and roughly the same length, and the dot sits above the second left-falling stroke. A common mistake is adding an extra dot or making the second left-falling stroke too short, which makes it look like a different character.

戈 (gē) has only 4 strokes and means "dagger-axe" (a weapon), while 戋 has 5 strokes and means "small." 戉 (yuè) is larger with an extra horizontal stroke and means "battle-axe," and it has a different bottom shape. Visually, 戋 has two left-falling strokes (丿) on the left side, whereas 戈 has only one and 戉 has a broader top.

戋 is rarely used alone in modern Chinese; it appears mainly in classical or literary contexts, such as 戋戋 (very small) and 戋戋之数 (a paltry sum). It also functions as a phonetic component in characters like 钱 (money), but does not itself mean money. Culturally, it conveys modesty when describing small amounts, reminiscent of ancient Chinese humility in referring to one's own offerings.

Common words containing 戋 include: 戋戋 (jiān jiān) — very small; trifling; 戋 (jiān) — small; tiny; 戋戋之数 (jiān jiān zhī shù) — a small amount; a paltry sum.