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鮮 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
鮮xiānfresh; delicious; attractivex, 17 strokes, radical 魚, rank #55004, Very Hard
xiān(xian1) T1
  1. 1fresh; delicious; attractive
Listen to the audio pronunciation 3 times to gain XP
March 24, 2026

鮮xiān(xian1)

The character 鮮 (xiān) primarily means 'fresh,' commonly used to describe food that is newly caught or harvested, such as fish and vegetables. It can also imply 'delicious' or 'attractive,' often used in contexts where something is appealing or vibrant.

Strokes17Radical魚Frequency#55004DifficultyVery Hard
Cultural Note

In Chinese cuisine, freshness is paramount, especially in seafood dishes. The emphasis on 鮮 reflects the cultural value placed on quality ingredients and their preparation.

Memory Tip

Imagine a brightly colored fish (鮮) swimming in clear water, fresh from the ocean. The fish's vibrant colors represent its freshness and deliciousness, helping you remember that 鮮 (xiān) relates to something appealing and fresh.

Meanings of 鮮

xiān(xian1)
1fresh; delicious; attractive
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 鮮

鮮Simplified
17Strokes
魚Radical
非语素字non-morpheme character (n-m.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 鮮

JasonAmy

Podcast: 鮮

Listen to Jason & Amy break down this word for you

AI Study Notes for 鮮

Quick Contrast

鲜 (xiān) vs 新鲜 (xīnxiān): use 鲜 (xiān) for specific freshness in taste or appearance, while 新鲜 (xīnxiān) emphasizes newness or recentness.

Usage Notes

Be careful not to confuse 鮮 (xiān) with 先 (xiān), which means 'first' or 'before.' It is often used in both formal and informal contexts, but is especially prevalent in culinary discussions, such as 鮮美 (xiān měi) meaning 'delicious.'

HSK Study Tips

While 鮮 is not an HSK vocabulary word, it is beneficial to connect it with HSK Level 3 words like 好吃 (hǎo chī - tasty) and 新鲜 (xīnxiān - fresh). Focus on using it in descriptive phrases related to food and experiences.

Common Mistakes

Learners may confuse 鮮 (xiān) with 先 (xiān), leading to incorrect usage in contexts. For example, saying 鮮上 (xiān shàng) instead of 先上 (xiān shàng) when trying to mean 'first' in a sequence is incorrect.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 鮮

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Etymology of 鮮

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

Phonosemantic compound. 鱼 represents the meaning and 羊 represents the sound. Simplified form of 鮮.

Memory Hint

fish

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

Jason Etymology Detective

Case file: 鮮

Phonosemantic compound. 鱼 represents the meaning and 羊 represents the sound. Simplified form of 鮮.

  1. 1The meaning half魚 carries the sense.
  2. 2The sound half羊 is there for the reading, not the meaning.
  3. 3The giveawayfish
  4. 4On the record aspictophonetic.

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

Want the full history of 鮮? 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 鮮?

Decomposition of 鮮

IDS Structure⿰魚羊
鮮Full Character
=
魚yu2
left
羊Yang2
right
Exercise 1 of 2

Identify the Components

Which of these is a component of 鮮?

How to say fresh; delicious; attractive in Chinese

“fresh; delicious; attractive” in Chinese is鮮xiān

The character 鮮 (xiān) primarily means 'fresh,' commonly used to describe food that is newly caught or harvested, such as fish and vegetables. It can also imply 'delicious' or 'attractive,' often used in contexts where something is appealing or vibrant.

When to use 鮮

Be careful not to confuse 鮮 (xiān) with 先 (xiān), which means 'first' or 'before.' It is often used in both formal and informal contexts, but is especially prevalent in culinary discussions, such as 鮮美 (xiān měi) meaning 'delicious.'

鮮 or something close to it

鲜 (xiān) vs 新鲜 (xīnxiān): use 鲜 (xiān) for specific freshness in taste or appearance, while 新鲜 (xīnxiān) emphasizes newness or recentness.

What learners get wrong

Learners may confuse 鮮 (xiān) with 先 (xiān), leading to incorrect usage in contexts. For example, saying 鮮上 (xiān shàng) instead of 先上 (xiān shàng) when trying to mean 'first' in a sequence is incorrect.

Write 鮮

鮮

Practice writing 鮮 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 鮮

Words Containing This Character20
新鲜xīnxiānfreshness新鮮
朝鲜North Korea朝鮮
鲜xiānfresh鮮
鲜血xiānxuèblood鮮血
鲜花xiānhuāflower鮮花
鲜明xiānmíngbright鮮明
海鲜hǎixiānseafood海鮮
鲜活xiānhuóvivid鮮活
鲜艳xiānyànbright-colored鮮艷
朝鲜半岛Korean Peninsula朝鮮半島
鲜奶fresh milk鮮奶
鲜美xiānměidelicious鮮美
鲜红scarlet鮮紅
鲜为人知secret to all but a few鮮為人知
南朝鲜South Korea南朝鮮
屡见不鲜a common occurrence (idiom)屢見不鮮
光鲜bright and neat光鮮
鲜卑Xianbei or Xianbi, group of northern nomadic peoples鮮卑
鲜亮vivid鮮亮
旗帜鲜明to show one's colors旗幟鮮明
Exercise 1 of 4

Compound Meaning

What does 新鲜 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 鮮

You can say 鮮魚很好吃 (xiān yú hěn hǎo chī) which means 'fresh fish is very delicious.'

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