How to Write 叁 (sān) — Meaning “Three (formal form used in banking).”

Imagine that the top part 厶 looks like a private seal used on a bank check, and the bottom part 三 is the amount of three. This helps you remember that 叁 is the formal way to write 'three' in financial documents.

Start with the top 厶: write a slanted left stroke, then a right curve and a hook. Then write the bottom 三 with three evenly spaced horizontal strokes. A common mistake is making the top part too large or the three lines uneven in length.

Compared to 厽, which is an older variant made of three stacked 厶 shapes, 叁 has a clear 'three' at the bottom. 县 means 'county' and has a completely different structure: a horizontal line on top with a vertical and a small curve, so it looks and means nothing like 叁.

叁 is the formal or 'safe' form of the number three, used exclusively in financial contexts like bank checks, contracts, and invoices to prevent tampering. For example, you write 叁佰 for 300 on a check, but in daily life you use the simpler character 三.

Common words containing 叁 include: 叁佰 (sān bǎi) — Three hundred (formal).; 叁仟 (sān qiān) — Three thousand (formal).; 叁万 (sān wàn) — Thirty thousand (formal)..