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How to Write 县 (xiàn) — Meaning “county”

xiàn HSK Level 4 7 strokes Radical: 厶

县 (xiàn) means "county" in Chinese. It has 7 strokes with the radical 厶, and is HSK Level 4.

Rated 3.2/5 in difficulty (challenging).

Harder than 18% of HSK Level 4 characters.

Appears in 3+ common words including 县城 (xiàn chéng), 县长 (xiàn zhǎng), 县志 (xiàn zhì).

Due to its 7 strokes, Hanzi Writer's error detection shows 县 requires focused practice — most learners need 10+ attempts for consistent accuracy.

Stroke order practice for 县 - xiàn

Practice Writing 县 (xiàn)

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How to Write 县

The character 县 (xiàn) is written with 7 strokes. Follow the standard Chinese stroke order: top to bottom, left to right, outside before inside. The radical 厶 is one of its key components.

Practice the correct stroke order with the Hanzi Writer app to see animated stroke-by-stroke guidance with real-time feedback.

What Does xiàn (县) Mean in Chinese?

县 means county.

As an HSK Level 4 character, 县 is an intermediate-level character.

Character Data

Character县
Pinyinxiàn (xian)
Meaningcounty
Strokes7
Radical厶
HSK Level4
Difficulty3.2/5

Origin of 县

Originally a pictograph of a severed head (首) hanging upside down from a tree (木), meaning 'to suspend' (now 懸). The character was later borrowed to refer to an administrative district 'county'—a distant territory under direct imperial rule. In the simplified form 县, the top 厶 evokes the head and the bottom 小 suggests the hanging thread or tree branch.

💡 Memory Tip: Imagine a county where a private (厶) official hangs a small (小) criminal's head as a warning to all.

Common Words with 县

县城 xiàn chéng
county seat; county town
县长 xiàn zhǎng
county head; county magistrate
县志 xiàn zhì
county annals; local gazetteer

Example Sentences

我住在县城。

wǒ zhù zài xiàn chéng

I live in the county seat.

他是这里的县长。

tā shì zhè lǐ de xiàn zhǎng

He is the magistrate of this county.

我在看县志。

wǒ zài kàn xiàn zhì

I am reading the county annals.

Similar Characters Comparison

Character Pinyin Strokes Radical
县 (current) xiàn 7 厶
去 qù 5 厶
厽 lěi 6 厶
叀 zhuān 8 厶
Stroke order practice for 县 - xiàn

Practice Writing 县 (xiàn)

Open Hanzi Writer to see the animated stroke order and practice writing 县 with real-time feedback.

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Frequently Asked Questions about 县

县 consists of the radical 厶 on top, which originally meant "private" or a cocoon shape, and a simplified form of 小 (small) below. Together, they create the idea of a "small area" that is distinct from central rule, relating to its meaning of "county."

More HSK Level 4 Characters

阿ā/ē姨yí矮ǎi置zhì暗àn巴ba/bā士shì货huò摆bǎi脱tuō败bài裹guǒ含hán括kuò薄báo/bó/bò宝bǎo贝bèi密mì守shǒu抱bào

Characters with Radical 厶

厶sī厷gōng厹róu去qù厽lěi叀zhuān叁sān参cān/cēn/shēn

Other 7-Stroke Characters

㐬liú㳄xián两liǎng严yán串chuàn丽lì乱luàn亨hēng亩mǔ伯bó