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艦 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
jiànwarshipx, 20 strokes, radical 舟, Very Hard
jiàn(jian4) T4
  1. 1warship
Listen to the audio pronunciation 3 times to gain XP
March 24, 2026

jiàn(jian4)

The character 艦 (jiàn) refers specifically to a type of warship, often a large military vessel equipped for naval warfare. It emphasizes the concept of strength and defense on water, commonly used in military contexts and discussions about naval power.

Strokes20RadicalFrequency#—DifficultyVery Hard
Cultural Note

In Chinese culture, naval power is considered a significant aspect of national strength, especially in historical contexts where dynasties relied on naval fleets for trade and defense.

Memory Tip

Imagine a giant ship (艦) sailing through the waves, where the '艦' looks like a ship's hull with sails. The pronunciation 'jiàn' can be remembered by picturing 'Jian' as a captain commanding the warship.

Meanings of 艦

jiàn(jian4)
1warship
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 艦

Simplified
20Strokes
Radical
非语素字non-morpheme character (n-m.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 艦

JasonAmy

Podcast:

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AI Study Notes for 艦

Quick Contrast

舰 (jiàn) vs 船 (chuán) — use 艦 for military warships, while 船 refers to general boats or ships.

Memory Mnemonic

Imagine a giant ship (艦) sailing through the waves, where the '艦' looks like a ship's hull with sails. The pronunciation 'jiàn' can be remembered by picturing 'Jian' as a captain commanding the warship.

Usage Notes

When using 艦, it is often paired with other military terminology, such as '海军' (navy) or '战斗' (combat). Learners should be cautious of the tone, as mispronouncing 'jiàn' with the wrong tone can lead to confusion with unrelated words.

HSK Study Tips

Although 艦 is not listed in HSK levels, it connects to other words related to military and naval themes. Students might focus on recognizing similar characters related to transportation and warfare to build contextual understanding.

Cultural Note

In Chinese culture, naval power is considered a significant aspect of national strength, especially in historical contexts where dynasties relied on naval fleets for trade and defense.

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 艦 (warship) with 船 (boat), using them interchangeably in contexts where the military aspect is crucial. Correct usage would be '海军艦' for naval warships, not '海军船'.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 艦

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Etymology of 艦

Formation Typepictophonetic
六书 ClassificationPhono-semantic (形声字)~80-90% of characters
Explanation

Phonosemantic compound. 舟 represents the meaning and 见 represents the sound. Simplified form of 艦.

Memory Hint

ship

Semantic (meaning)
+
Phonetic (sound)
Learn more about Phono-semantic (形声字) characters
Exercise 1 of 1

Character Formation Type

What type of character formation is 艦?

Decomposition of 艦

IDS Structure⿰舟監
Full Character
=
zhou1
left
jian1
right
Exercise 1 of 2

Identify the Components

Which of these is a component of 艦?

Write 艦

Practice writing stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.

Write correctly 3 times to earn XP

Cultural Notes for 艦

🏮Cultural insight

In Chinese culture, naval power is considered a significant aspect of national strength, especially in historical contexts where dynasties relied on naval fleets for trade and defense.

Word Family of 艦

Words Containing This Character20
jiànwarship
舰队fleet艦隊
战舰battleship戰艦
旗舰flagship旗艦
舰长commander艦長
军舰jūnjiànwarship軍艦
舰艇jiàntǐngwarship艦艇
驱逐舰destroyer (warship)驅逐艦
航空母舰aircraft carrier航空母艦
舰船warship艦船
巡洋舰cruiser (warship)巡洋艦
护卫舰corvette護衛艦
战列舰battleship戰列艦
舰只warship艦隻
反舰导弹anti-ship missile反艦導彈
舰载机carrier-based aircraft艦載機
舰载ship-based艦載
舰桥bridge艦橋
运输舰transport ship運輸艦
炮舰gunboat砲艦
Exercise 1 of 4

Compound Meaning

What does 舰 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 艦

艦 refers specifically to military warships, while 船 is a general term for any type of boat or ship.