How to Write 间 (jiān/jiàn) — Meaning “between / room / gap / interval”

Imagine a door (门) with a sun (日) shining through its crack — the space between the door and the sun is a 'gap'. This visual helps you remember that 间 means 'between', 'interval', or 'room'. You can also think of it as "the sun is inside the room" to recall 房间 (room).

Write the radical 门 first: dot, vertical stroke, then a horizontal fold hook (like a door frame). Inside, draw 日 with a vertical line, a horizontal fold, and two horizontal strokes—keep it centered and smaller than the door. A common mistake is making 日 too large or touching the door frame; leave a small gap between the inner part and the left vertical of 门.

间 has the sun (日) inside the door, meaning 'room' or 'gap'. 闪 (shǎn) has a person (人) inside the door, meaning 'to dodge' or 'flash' — imagine a person slipping through a door. 闫 (yán) has three horizontal strokes (三) inside the door and is usually a surname; it has no common everyday meaning like 间.

You will see 间 in everyday words like 房间 (room) and 中间 (middle, between). It also appears in time expressions such as 时间 (time) — though that uses a different character for 'time', the 间 indicates an interval. Culturally, 间 reflects the Chinese idea of spaces divided by doors, so it often describes physical or temporal gaps.

Common words containing 间 include: 房间 (fáng jiān) — room; 中间 (zhōng jiān) — Middle; between; 间隔 (jiàn gé) — interval / gap / space.