How to Write 囝 (jiǎn) — Meaning “Child; son (dialect).”

Imagine a baby (子) sitting inside a square playpen (囗). The square keeps the baby safe, matching the dialect meaning of 'child' or 'son'.

First write the outer box 囗 in three strokes (left, top-right, bottom), then add 子 inside with three strokes (horizontal hook, vertical hook, final horizontal). A common mistake is making the inner 子 too large or touching the box walls.

囝 has 子 (child) inside the enclosure, meaning 'child' or 'son'. 囚 has 人 (person) inside, meaning 'prisoner'. 四 has a different inner part (like 儿) and means 'four'. The inner component determines the meaning.

囝 is a dialectal character, common in Hokkien (Min Nan) and Wu spoken areas, meaning 'child' or 'son'. It appears in words like 囝仔 (child) but is not used in standard Mandarin or HSK, so learners may only encounter it in regional contexts or literature.

Common words containing 囝 include: 囝仔 (jiǎn zǎi) — Child (Hokkien/Min Nan dialect).; 小囝 (xiǎo jiǎn) — child / little boy (dialect); 囝囝 (jiǎn jiǎn) — Little child; baby (affectionate)..