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霰 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
霰xiànhail, sleetn, 20 strokes, radical 雨, rank #90846, Very Hard
霰xiàngraupelunknown, 20 strokes, radical 雨, rank #90846, Very Hard
霰xiànsnow pelletunknown, 20 strokes, radical 雨, rank #90846, Very Hard
霰xiànsoft hailunknown, 20 strokes, radical 雨, rank #90846, Very Hard
霰sǎnhail, sleetn, 20 strokes, radical 雨, rank #90846, Very Hard
霰sǎngraupelunknown, 20 strokes, radical 雨, rank #90846, Very Hard
霰sǎnsnow pelletunknown, 20 strokes, radical 雨, rank #90846, Very Hard
霰sǎnsoft hailunknown, 20 strokes, radical 雨, rank #90846, Very Hard
sǎn(san3)
primary
 T3
  1. 1hail, sleet
  2. 2graupel
Listen to the audio pronunciation 3 times to gain XP
March 24, 2026

霰sǎn(san3)

霰 (sǎn) refers to a type of precipitation that consists of small, soft ice pellets, often associated with winter weather. Unlike traditional hail, which is hard and larger, 霰 is softer and falls as small balls or grains, making it distinct in weather reports and discussions about climate conditions.

Strokes20Radical雨Frequency#90846DifficultyVery Hard
Cultural Note

In Chinese culture, different types of precipitation can symbolize various things—霰, often seen during transitional weather, can represent changes or unpredictability in life, similar to how it disrupts normal winter conditions.

Memory Tip

Think of 霰 as 'soft snow'—the character has a radical for 'rain' (雨) on the bottom, indicating it relates to precipitation, while the top part suggests a mix of icy elements. Imagine soft ice pellets gently falling from the sky like tiny, fluffy marshmallows, which helps you remember its meaning and pronunciation, sǎn.

Meanings of 霰

sǎn(san3)
primary
1hail, sleet
2graupel
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 霰

霰Simplified
20Strokes
雨Radical
名词míngcínoun (n.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 霰

JasonAmy

Podcast: 霰

Listen to Jason & Amy break down this word for you

AI Study Notes for 霰

Usage Notes

霰 is typically used in meteorological contexts, so it's more common in formal discussions or reports about weather than in everyday conversation. A common mistake is confusing it with 雹 (báo), which means hail, as they both relate to ice but differ in texture and size. Always remember that 霰 is softer.

HSK Study Tips

Though 霰 is not a part of the HSK vocabulary, it connects to weather-related terms found in HSK levels 3 and 4, such as 雨 (yǔ, rain) and 雪 (xuě, snow). Focus on the context of weather to better understand how this term fits into discussions about climate.

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 霰 with 雹 due to their similar meanings related to ice. An incorrect usage would be saying '今天下霰' (jīntiān xià sǎn) when referring to hard hail; the correct term would be '今天下雹' (jīntiān xià báo) for hail.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 霰

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Etymology of 霰

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

Phonosemantic compound. 雨 represents the meaning and 散 represents the sound.

Memory Hint

rain

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

Jason Etymology Detective

Case file: 霰

Phonosemantic compound. 雨 represents the meaning and 散 represents the sound.

  1. 1The meaning half雨 carries the sense.
  2. 2The sound half散 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 霰? 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 霰?

Decomposition of 霰

IDS Structure⿱雨散
霰Full Character
=
雨yu3
top
散san3
bottom
Exercise 1 of 2

Identify the Components

Which of these is a component of 霰?

How to say hail, sleet in Chinese

“hail, sleet” in Chinese is霰xiàn

霰 (sǎn) refers to a type of precipitation that consists of small, soft ice pellets, often associated with winter weather. Unlike traditional hail, which is hard and larger, 霰 is softer and falls as small balls or grains, making it distinct in weather reports and discussions about climate conditions.

When to use 霰

霰 is typically used in meteorological contexts, so it's more common in formal discussions or reports about weather than in everyday conversation. A common mistake is confusing it with 雹 (báo), which means hail, as they both relate to ice but differ in texture and size. Always remember that 霰 is softer.

What learners get wrong

Learners often confuse 霰 with 雹 due to their similar meanings related to ice. An incorrect usage would be saying '今天下霰' (jīntiān xià sǎn) when referring to hard hail; the correct term would be '今天下雹' (jīntiān xià báo) for hail.

Write 霰

霰

Practice writing 霰 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 霰

Words Containing This Character2
霰sǎngraupel
榴霰弹shrapnel榴霰彈
Exercise 1 of 2

Compound Meaning

What does 霰 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 霰

It is pronounced as 'sǎn', with a falling tone.

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Not sure what to learn after 霰?

Jason picks three words from your level and explains why each one is worth your time next. It takes a free account so he knows what you already know.