Hanzi Writer

How to Write 箭 (jiàn) — Meaning “arrow”

jiàn HSK Level 6 15 strokes Radical: ⺮

箭 (jiàn) means "arrow" in Chinese. It has 15 strokes with the radical ⺮, and is HSK Level 6.

Rated 4.2/5 in difficulty (advanced).

Harder than 83% of HSK Level 6 characters.

Appears in 3+ common words including 射箭 (shè jiàn), 火箭 (huǒ jiàn), 弓箭 (gōng jiàn).

Due to its 15 strokes, Hanzi Writer's error detection shows 箭 requires focused practice — most learners need 10+ attempts for consistent accuracy.

Stroke order practice for 箭 - jiàn

Practice Writing 箭 (jiàn)

Open Hanzi Writer to see the animated stroke order and practice writing 箭 with real-time feedback.

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How to Write 箭

The character 箭 (jiàn) is written with 15 strokes. Follow the standard Chinese stroke order: top to bottom, left to right, outside before inside. The radical ⺮ is one of its key components.

Practice the correct stroke order with the Hanzi Writer app to see animated stroke-by-stroke guidance with real-time feedback.

What Does jiàn (箭) Mean in Chinese?

箭 means arrow.

As an HSK Level 6 character, 箭 is an intermediate-level character.

Character Data

Character箭
Pinyinjiàn (jian)
Meaningarrow
Strokes15
Radical⺮
HSK Level6
Difficulty4.2/5

Origin of 箭

箭 is a compound character formed from the radical ⺮ (bamboo) on top, representing the material often used for arrow shafts, and 前 (qián, 'front/forward') beneath, which phonetically and semantically suggests the arrow's forward motion when shot. Together, the character visually depicts a bamboo implement that goes forward—an arrow.

💡 Memory Tip: Picture a bamboo stick (⺮) that you place in front (前) of a bow and shoot forward—that's the arrow.

Common Words with 箭

射箭 shè jiàn
Archery; to shoot an arrow
火箭 huǒ jiàn
rocket
弓箭 gōng jiàn
bow and arrow

Example Sentences

他正在练习射箭。

tā zhèng zài liàn xí shè jiàn

He is practicing archery.

火箭飞向了太空。

huǒ jiàn fēi xiàng le tài kōng

The rocket flew into space.

他有一套漂亮的弓箭。

tā yǒu yī tào piào liàng de gōng jiàn

He has a beautiful set of bow and arrows.

Similar Characters Comparison

Character Pinyin Strokes Radical
箭 (current) jiàn 15 ⺮
筹 chóu 13 ⺮
签 qiān 13 ⺮
算 suàn 14 ⺮
Stroke order practice for 箭 - jiàn

Practice Writing 箭 (jiàn)

Open Hanzi Writer to see the animated stroke order and practice writing 箭 with real-time feedback.

✨ Animated stroke order · Handwriting recognition · HSK-graded practice · Free to use

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Frequently Asked Questions about 箭

箭 has a bamboo radical ⺮ on top, showing that ancient arrows were often made from bamboo. The lower part is 前 (qián, front), hinting that an arrow moves forward when shot.

More HSK Level 6 Characters

挨āi/ái罢bà傍bàng刊kān歉qiàn暴bào露lòu/lù爆bào炸zhá/zhà惨cǎn奔bēn/bèn逼bī缘yuán扁biǎn/piān拨bō波bō捕bǔ纳nà踩cǎi残cán

Characters with Radical ⺮

笑xiào笔bǐ笨bèn第dì等děng筋jīn筐kuāng筑zhù筒tǒng答dā/dá

Other 15-Stroke Characters

䠀tāng僵jiāng僻pì儅dàng儇xuān儋dān凛lǐn劈pī/pǐ劐huō勰xié