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霑 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
霑zhānmoist, soaked; to moistenzg, 16 strokes, radical 雨
zhān(zhan1) T1
  1. 1moist, soaked; to moisten
Listen to the audio pronunciation 3 times to gain XP
March 24, 2026

霑zhān(zhan1)

The character 霑 (zhān) means to moisten or soak something. It is often used in contexts related to wetness, such as describing the feeling of something being damp or saturated with liquid. In literature, it can evoke imagery of rain or dew, enhancing the mood of a scene.

Strokes16Radical雨
Cultural Note

In traditional Chinese poetry, the imagery of rain and moisture often represents renewal and life, which ties closely to the concept of 霑. This character can be found in expressions describing the beauty of nature, particularly in the context of farming and agriculture, which are vital to Chinese culture.

Memory Tip

Imagine a sponge (representing 霑) that is soaked in water, dripping droplets as it absorbs liquid. The 'zh-' sound in 'zhān' can remind you of 'drain', which is what happens when something is overly soaked. Picture the sponge being so full that it can no longer hold water, symbolizing the essence of this character.

Meanings of 霑

zhān(zhan1)
1moist, soaked; to moisten
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 霑

霑Simplified
16Strokes
雨Radical
状态词stative word (stat.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 霑

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Podcast: 霑

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AI Study Notes for 霑

Usage Notes

Learners often confuse 霑 with similar-sounding characters like 沾 (zhān), which means to touch or dip into liquid. 霑 is more formal and literary, while 沾 is more common in everyday conversation. Be cautious with tones; mispronouncing 霑 can lead to misunderstandings.

HSK Study Tips

Although 霑 is not part of the HSK vocabulary list, it can enhance your understanding of related words like 湿 (shī, wet) and 沾 (zhān). Focus on recognizing the character's components and their meanings, as this will help in grasping more complex vocabulary in advanced studies.

Common Mistakes

A common error is confusing 霑 with 沾 when describing actions like 'to dip' or 'to get wet'. For example, saying '我霑手在水里' (Wǒ zhān shǒu zài shuǐ lǐ) instead of '我沾手在水里' (Wǒ zhān shǒu zài shuǐ lǐ) would be incorrect.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 霑

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Etymology of 霑

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

Phonosemantic compound. 氵 represents the meaning and 占 represents the sound. Simplified form of 霑.

Memory Hint

rain

Semantic (meaning)雨
+
Phonetic (sound)沾
Learn more about Phono-semantic (形声字) characters

Jason Etymology Detective

Case file: 霑

Phonosemantic compound. 氵 represents the meaning and 占 represents the sound. Simplified form of 霑.

  1. 1The meaning half雨 carries the sense.
  2. 2The sound half沾 is there for the reading, not the meaning.
  3. 3The giveawayrain
  4. 4On the record aspictophonetic.

Every clue here comes from the character's recorded structure — nothing is guessed.

Want the full history of 霑? Jason searches the paleographic record, weighs the competing accounts and judges the popular story.

Charged once for this character — everyone reads it afterwards.
Exercise 1 of 1

Character Formation Type

What type of character formation is 霑?

Decomposition of 霑

IDS Structure⿱雨沾
霑Full Character
=
雨yu3
top
沾zhan1
bottom
Exercise 1 of 2

Identify the Components

Which of these is a component of 霑?

How to say moist, soaked; to moisten in Chinese

“moist, soaked; to moisten” in Chinese is霑zhān

The character 霑 (zhān) means to moisten or soak something. It is often used in contexts related to wetness, such as describing the feeling of something being damp or saturated with liquid. In literature, it can evoke imagery of rain or dew, enhancing the mood of a scene.

When to use 霑

Learners often confuse 霑 with similar-sounding characters like 沾 (zhān), which means to touch or dip into liquid. 霑 is more formal and literary, while 沾 is more common in everyday conversation. Be cautious with tones; mispronouncing 霑 can lead to misunderstandings.

What learners get wrong

A common error is confusing 霑 with 沾 when describing actions like 'to dip' or 'to get wet'. For example, saying '我霑手在水里' (Wǒ zhān shǒu zài shuǐ lǐ) instead of '我沾手在水里' (Wǒ zhān shǒu zài shuǐ lǐ) would be incorrect.

Write 霑

霑

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

Write correctly 3 times to earn XP

Word Family of 霑

Words Containing This Character13
沾zhānto moisten
沾满muddy沾滿
沾染to be infected by
沾沾自喜immeasurably self-satisfied
沾边to be relevant沾邊
沾光zhānguāngto bask in the light
沾湿to moisten沾濕
沾花惹草to womanize
沾化Zhanhu county in Binzhou 濱州|滨州[Bīn​zhōu], Shandong
沾益Zhanyi county in Qujing 曲靖[Qǔ​jìng], Yunnan霑益
沾益县Zhanyi county in Qujing 曲靖[Qǔ​jìng], Yunnan霑益縣
沾化县Zhanhu county in Binzhou 濱州|滨州[Bīn​zhōu], Shandong沾化縣
均沾to share (profits)
Exercise 1 of 4

Compound Meaning

What does 沾 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 霑

No, 霑 is more commonly found in literary texts and poetry rather than in daily speech.

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