How to Write 贱 (jiàn) — Meaning “Cheap / Lowly / Mean”

Think of the left part 贝 as a coin (money) and the right part 戋 as two small lines meaning "small" or "few." So a coin that is very small or worth little is "cheap" — 贱. You can also imagine a cheap item that has only "two tiny coins" of value.

The left radical 贝 has 4 strokes and ends with a small dot (丶) inside, not a line. The right part 戋 has 5 strokes: first a horizontal stroke, then two diagonal strokes (撇), followed by a long horizontal and a left-falling stroke. A common mistake is writing the right side too wide — keep it narrow and balanced with the left side.

All three share the radical 贝 (money), but 贡 (gòng) means "tribute" and has 工 (work) on top, suggesting items worked for and offered to superiors. 财 (cái) means "wealth" and has 才 (ability) on the right, implying money gained through talent. In contrast, 贱 has 戋 (small/few), implying something of little value — cheap or lowly.

贱 is used to describe low prices, such as 贱卖 (sell cheaply) or 贱价 (bargain price), and also to describe a person's low social status (卑贱) or mean character. However, be careful: calling someone 贱 directly is very insulting and rude in Chinese culture, similar to calling them "despicable" in English. It's best used only for objects or in fixed expressions.

Common words containing 贱 include: 贱卖 (jiàn mài) — Sell at a low price; 卑贱 (bēi jiàn) — lowly; humble; mean; 贱价 (jiàn jià) — Low price / Bargain price.