How to Write 闵 (mǐn) — Meaning “to feel compassion for / to worry (also a surname)”

Picture a door (门) with a written message (文) that says 'Have compassion' to remind you that 闵 means to feel compassion. Another trick is to link the sound 'mǐn' with the English word 'mean' — but 闵 is about being kind, not mean.

Write the outer radical 门 first: dot, vertical, horizontal hook. Then add 文 inside: dot, horizontal, left-falling stroke, right-falling stroke. A common mistake is making the inner 文 too large so it touches the door frame; keep it centered and slightly smaller than the door.

闵 has 文 (writing) inside, while 闪 has 人 (person) inside and means 'to dodge' or 'flash,' and 闫 has 三 (three) inside and is only a surname. Visually, remember that 闵's inner part has a horizontal line and two crossing strokes, unlike the person shape of 闪 or the three lines of 闫.

闵 is most often used as a surname (姓闵) or in the place name 闵行 (Minhang District in Shanghai). It can also mean 'to feel compassion' in classical or literary contexts, but this is rare in daily conversation. The character is not in the HSK list, so you will mainly see it in names and geography.

Common words containing 闵 include: 闵行 (mǐn xíng) — Minhang (a district in Shanghai); 姓闵 (xìng mǐn) — Surname Min; 闵勉 (mǐn miǎn) — to encourage / to strive.