How to Write 浅 (qiǎn) — Meaning “shallow / light (color)”

Imagine a small boat (represented by 戋, which looks like two small marks) floating on the surface of water (氵), indicating the water is shallow. You can also think of "shallow" as "water that is only a little deep," matching the small radical 戋.

Write the left radical 氵 first with three dots in a flowing diagonal, then write the right side 戋: first the horizontal stroke, then the upward slanted line, then the two diagonal strokes (撇 and 捺). A common mistake is making the right side too wide or uneven; keep the 戋 compact and centered to balance the left side.

Although 㳄 (xián) and 汊 (chà) share the water radical, 浅 means 'shallow' or 'light color,' while 㳄 is a rare character meaning 'saliva' or to flow, and 汊 means a branch of a river or a fork. Visually, 浅 has the right component 戋, whereas 㳄 has 欠 (qiàn, 'lack') and 汊 has 叉 (chā, 'fork'), making them distinct in both shape and meaning.

浅 commonly appears to describe shallow water (浅水) or light colors (浅色), and in phrases like 深浅 to express depth, shade, or a sense of propriety. Culturally, 浅 can imply superficiality or lack of depth in knowledge or character, so the phrase 学识浅 (shallow learning) is a modest way to describe one's own limited knowledge.

Common words containing 浅 include: 浅 (qiǎn) — shallow / light (color); 浅色 (qiǎn sè) — light color; 深浅 (shēn qiǎn) — depth; shade (of color); sense of propriety.