How to Write 惋 (wǎn) — Meaning “To regret”

Imagine your heart (忄) is twisted like a curved road (宛) because you regret a wrong turn you made. The sound 'wǎn' is like 'wonder' but with a sad tone, so think 'I wonder why I did that — what a regret!'

The left radical 忄 must be written with two dots on the sides of a vertical stroke, not as three separate lines. A common error is mistaking the right part 宛: it contains a roof (宀), then 夕 (evening), and finally a bottom like 巳 (snake), not 己 or 已 — make sure the bottom hook is open.

惋 (wǎn) means 'to regret,' while 恂 (xún) means 'sincere' or 'fearful' and has the right side 旬 (ten days). 恃 (shì) means 'to rely on' and uses the right side 寺 (temple). Visually, 惋 has a more complex right side with a roof and snake-like bottom, while the others are simpler.

惋 is mostly used in formal or literary expressions like 惋惜 (wǎnxī), meaning 'to feel sorry for something lost or unfortunate.' You might see it in news articles to express sympathy, such as 令人惋惜 (lìng rén wǎnxī, 'causing regret'). It is not common in casual conversation but adds a poetic tone to writing.

Common words containing 惋 include: 惋惜 (wǎn xī) — To feel sorry for; 叹惋 (tàn wǎn) — to sigh with regret; 哀惋 (āi wǎn) — mournful.