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欿 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
欿kǎnsad, gloomy, discontentx, 12 strokes, radical 欠
欿kǎndiscontented with oneselfunknown, 12 strokes, radical 欠
kǎn(kan3)kan T3
  1. 1sad, gloomy, discontent
  2. 2discontented with oneself
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March 24, 2026

欿kǎn(kan3)

The character 欿 (kǎn) conveys a sense of sadness or gloominess, often reflecting a deeper discontent with oneself or one's circumstances. It can be used to describe emotional states or situations that evoke feelings of disappointment or melancholy.

Strokes12Radical欠
Cultural note

In Chinese culture, expressing discontent or sadness is often seen through poetry and literature, where characters like 欿 may appear in works that explore themes of unfulfilled desires or the impermanence of life.

Memory tip

Imagine a sad person sitting under a tree (木), feeling gloomy and discontented. The tree's branches droop like their spirits, and the sound of 'kǎn' resembles a sigh of despair, helping you remember the feeling of gloom.

Meanings of 欿

kǎn(kan3)
1sad, gloomy, discontent
2discontented with oneself
Exercise 1 of 2

By ear

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About 欿

欿Simplified
12Strokes
欠Radical
非语素字non-morpheme character (n-m.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

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Podcast: 欿

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AI study notes for 欿

Usage Notes

Common mistakes include using 欿 in overly positive contexts, as it strictly conveys negative emotions. It's more frequently used in written Chinese, so learners should be careful about using it in casual conversations. Be aware of its tone; 'kǎn' can easily be confused with other tones.

HSK Study Tips

Although 欿 is not included in the HSK levels, it can be related to emotional vocabulary. Students should focus on the emotional context and synonyms for sadness to build a broader vocabulary around feelings.

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 欿 with more common emotional words like 悲 (bēi) meaning 'sad', which can lead to inappropriate usage. For example, saying '我很欿' (I am very kǎn) instead of '我很悲' (I am very sad) can sound unnatural.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 欿

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Etymology of 欿

Formation typepictophonetic
六书 ClassificationPhono-semantic (形声字)~80-90% of characters
Memory hint

pit

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

Origin

欿 = 臽 + 欠. What kind of character does that make it?

Decomposition of 欿

IDS Structure⿰臽欠
欿Full character
=
臽xian4
left
欠qian4
right
Exercise 1 of 2

Parts

Which of these is part of 欿?

How to say sad, gloomy, discontent in Chinese

“sad, gloomy, discontent” in Chinese is欿kǎn

The character 欿 (kǎn) conveys a sense of sadness or gloominess, often reflecting a deeper discontent with oneself or one's circumstances. It can be used to describe emotional states or situations that evoke feelings of disappointment or melancholy.

When to use 欿

Common mistakes include using 欿 in overly positive contexts, as it strictly conveys negative emotions. It's more frequently used in written Chinese, so learners should be careful about using it in casual conversations. Be aware of its tone; 'kǎn' can easily be confused with other tones.

What learners get wrong

Learners often confuse 欿 with more common emotional words like 悲 (bēi) meaning 'sad', which can lead to inappropriate usage. For example, saying '我很欿' (I am very kǎn) instead of '我很悲' (I am very sad) can sound unnatural.

Write 欿

欿

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

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Word Family of 欿

Words containing this character1
欿kǎndiscontented with oneself

Frequently asked questions about 欿

It can describe someone feeling sad or discontented, such as '他对此事感到欿' (He feels discontented about this matter).

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