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删 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
删shānto deleteHSK 5, v, 7 strokes, radical 刂, rank #6376, Hard
删shānto delete; to cut; to censorHSK 5, v, 7 strokes, radical 刂, rank #6376, Hard
shān(shan1) T1
  1. 1to delete
  2. 2to delete; to cut; to censor
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March 24, 2026
删(刪)shān(shan1)

The character 删 (shān) means 'to delete' or 'to cut.' It is commonly used in the context of removing text, files, or information, and can also refer to censorship in media. Its usage is prevalent in technology and media discussions.

Strokes7Radical刂Frequency#6376DifficultyHard
Cultural Note

In China, the concept of censorship is prevalent, especially in media and online content. The practice of 删 is part of larger discussions around freedom of expression and information control in Chinese society.

Memory Tip

Imagine a sharp knife (the radical 刀) cutting through a document, removing unwanted sections. The sound 'shān' can be remembered by picturing a 'shank' of a knife that is used to delete parts of the paper.

Meanings of 删

shān(shan1)
1to delete
2to delete; to cut; to censor
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 删

删Simplified
刪Traditional
7Strokes
刂Radical
动词dòngcíverb (v.)Part of Speech
#6376Frequency Rank
HSK 3.0L5AdvancedCEFRC2

Podcast: 删

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Podcast: 删

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AI Study Notes for 删

Quick Contrast

删除 (shānchú) vs 删去 (shānqù) — use 删除 for formal deletion contexts, while 删去 is more casual.

Memory Mnemonic

Imagine a sharp knife (the radical 刀) cutting through a document, removing unwanted sections. The sound 'shān' can be remembered by picturing a 'shank' of a knife that is used to delete parts of the paper.

Usage Notes

Learners often confuse 删 with 取消 (qǔxiāo), which also means 'to cancel.' 删 is generally more direct and often used in relation to text or files. It is more informal and common in everyday conversations, while 取消 may be more formal.

HSK Study Tips

刪 is not included in the HSK vocabulary lists, but it connects well with other verbs related to actions, such as 删除 (shānchú - to remove). Focus on recognizing this character in contexts related to technology and digital media.

Cultural Note

In China, the concept of censorship is prevalent, especially in media and online content. The practice of 删 is part of larger discussions around freedom of expression and information control in Chinese society.

Common Mistakes

Learners sometimes misuse 删 in place of 删除, leading to sentences like '我想删这张照片' (Wǒ xiǎng shān zhè zhāng zhàopiàn), which may sound awkward in formal contexts. It's better to use 删除 for clarity.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 删

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Etymology of 删

Formation TypeIdeographic 指事
六书 ClassificationIdeograph (指事字)~2% of characters
Memory Hint

To cut 刂 out passages from a book 册

Learn more about Ideograph (指事字) characters
Exercise 1 of 1

Character Formation Type

What type of character formation is 删?

Decomposition of 删

IDS Structure⿰册刂
删Full Character
=
册ce4
left
刂dao1
right
Exercise 1 of 2

Identify the Components

Which of these is a component of 删?

Write 删

删

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

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Grammar Patterns of 删

删 functions as a verb — the action or state of the sentence. The Chinese order is Subject + Verb + Object (我吃饭). Negate it with 不 (habitual / future) or 没(有) (completed action). Add aspect markers like 了, 过, 着 directly after the verb. It carries 2 related meanings, each with its own usage notes below. The example sentences below show it in action, with practice buttons (Listen, Practice Writing, Practice Speaking) on every line.

Exercise 1 of 5

Complete the Sentence

“把她从你的遗嘱中____去，”他的侄子催促道。

"Cut her out of your will," urged his nephew.

Example Sentences for 删 (10)

Listen to all sentences once to receive XP
1
“把她从你的遗嘱中删去，”他的侄子催促道。

“ “ bǎ tā cóng nǐ de yí zhǔ zhōng shān，” qù ，” tā de zhí zǐ cuī。

"Cut her out of your will," urged his nephew.
2
这本书因含有需要删除的问题章节而被撤回。

zhè běn shū yīn hán yǒu xū yào shān chú de wèn tí zhāng jié ér bèi chè huí。

The book was withdrawn for the offending passages to be deleted.
3
这包括删除很大一部分不相关的内容。

zhè bāo kuò shān chú hěn dà yī bù fēn bù xiāng guān de nèi róng。

This involved the deletion of a great deal of irrelevant material.
4
她再次删掉了那句台词。

tā zài cì shān diào le nà jù tái cí。

She edited that line out again.
5
电视公司往往会在审查故事片时删去其中的粗话。

diàn shì gōng sī wǎng wǎng huì zài shěn chá gù shì piàn shí shān qù qí zhōng de cū huà。

Television companies tend to censor bad language in feature films.
6
编辑们想让她把这首诗从她的小说中删去。

biān jí mén xiǎng ràng tā bǎ zhè shǒu shī cóng tā de xiǎo shuō zhōng shān qù。

Her editors wanted her to cut out the poetry from her novel.
7
我们决定将这笔费用从原始发票上删去。

wǒ mén jué dìng jiāng zhè bǐ fèi yòng cóng yuán shǐ fā piào shàng shān qù。

We will be pleased to delete the charge from the original invoice.
8
看起来那些名字被意外地从计算机磁盘上删除了。

kàn qǐ lái nà xiē míng zì bèi yì wài dì cóng jì suàn jī cí pán shàng shān chú le。

It appears the names were accidentally erased from computer disks.
9
它初版于1914年，当时删除了大量内容。

tā chū bǎn yú1914 1914， nián ， dāng shí shān chú le dà liáng。

It was first published in 1914 in a highly expurgated version.
10
假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。

jiǎ rú nǐ xiǎng bǎ zì jǐ de míng zì cóng xiàn xiě lián xì rén míng dān zhōng shān qù， ， qǐng gěi wǒ mén fā diàn zǐ yóu。

Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors.

Cultural Notes for 删

🏮Cultural insight

In China, the concept of censorship is prevalent, especially in media and online content. The practice of 删 is part of larger discussions around freedom of expression and information control in Chinese society.

Word Family of 删

Words Containing This Character7
删shānto delete刪
删除shānchúto delete刪除
删减to abridge (a text)刪減
删去to delete刪去
删节to abridge刪節
删改to edit刪改
增删add and delete增刪
Exercise 1 of 4

Compound Meaning

What does 删 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 删

You can say '我需要删掉这个文件' (Wǒ xūyào shān diào zhège wénjiàn), which means 'I need to delete this file.'