How to Write 建 (jiàn) — Meaning “To build / To establish”

Imagine you are building a house: you use a brush (聿) to draw the plans, then you walk (廴) to the construction site. This combination of drawing and moving helps you remember that 建 means to build or establish.

Write the radical 廴 with a long, smooth stroke that curves left then right. The 聿 component should be balanced, not too tall. A common mistake is making the 廴 too short or mixing up the stroke order inside 聿.

The inner part is the main difference: 建 has 聿 (writing brush), 延 has a top part like 止 (stop), and 廷 has 壬 (a person). Visually, 聿 has several horizontal strokes, while the others do not. Their meanings also differ: 建 means build, 延 means extend, and 廷 means court.

建 appears in common words like 建筑 (architecture), 建设 (construction), and 建立 (establish). It is frequently used when talking about building infrastructure, creating organizations, or setting up systems. Culturally, 建 is important in phrases like 建设社会主义 (building socialism) in modern China.

Common words containing 建 include: 建议 (jiàn yì) — Suggestion / To suggest; 建筑 (jiàn zhù) — Architecture / Building; 建立 (jiàn lì) — To establish / To set up.