How to Write 减 (jiǎn) — Meaning “to reduce; to subtract”

Imagine you have an ice cube (冫) that you want to reduce in size by slicing off pieces, and you say 'Xian' (咸) to command it to shrink. Alternatively, think of the common word 减肥 (to lose weight) as 'reduce fat' — picture your fat melting away like ice under the sun.

Start with the two dots of the ice radical on the left, then draw a horizontal stroke for the top of 咸, followed by the mouth (口), and finally the slanting stroke and dot of 戈. A common mistake is writing the right side as 成 instead of 咸, so pay attention to the order: horizontal, mouth, then the dagger-axe component.

All three share the ice radical 冫, but the right side differs: 减 has 咸 (meaning 'all'), 凄 has 妻 (meaning 'wife'), and 准 has 隹 (meaning 'bird'). In terms of meaning, 减 is about reduction, 凄 describes bleakness or cold, and 准 indicates permission or accuracy. Visually, 咸 contains a mouth (口) and a dagger-axe (戈), while 妻 has a female element and 隹 resembles a bird.

减 is very common in everyday situations like mathematics (减法 for subtraction), reducing quantities (减少 for decrease), and health (减肥 for losing weight). In China, 减肥 is especially popular because of strong societal emphasis on body image, and you'll see it on diet product ads and in fitness conversations.

Common words containing 减 include: 减少 (jiǎn shǎo) — to decrease; to reduce; 减肥 (jiǎn féi) — to lose weight; dieting; 减法 (jiǎn fǎ) — subtraction.