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蕑 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
蕑jiāna climbing plant; Valeriana villosax, 16 strokes, radical 艹
蕑jiānsurname Jianunknown, 16 strokes, radical 艹
jiān(Jian1) T1
  1. 1a climbing plant; Valeriana villosa
Also a Chinese surname, Jian — see the Surname Dictionary
Listen to the audio pronunciation 3 times to gain XP
March 24, 2026

蕑jiān(Jian1)

The character 蕑 (jiān) refers primarily to a climbing plant, specifically Valeriana villosa, which is known for its medicinal properties. It can also be a surname in Chinese culture. In everyday usage, it is less common and often found in botanical contexts or literature.

Strokes16Radical艹
Cultural Note

In traditional Chinese medicine, plants like 蕑 are often valued for their healing properties, reflecting the deep-rooted connection between nature and health in Chinese culture. This character might appear in texts discussing herbal remedies.

Memory Tip

Imagine a 'climbing' plant winding its way up a wall. The character 蕑 has the radical '艹' (grass) at the top, representing plants, while the '戔' component can be visualized as the plant reaching upwards. The 'jiān' sounds like 'gen', reminding you of the 'genus' of a plant.

Meanings of 蕑

jiān(Jian1)
1a climbing plant; Valeriana villosa
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 蕑

蕑Simplified
16Strokes
艹Radical
非语素字non-morpheme character (n-m.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 蕑

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Podcast: 蕑

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AI Study Notes for 蕑

Usage Notes

When using 蕑, be aware that it is rarely used in casual conversation, making it more suitable for academic or botanical discussions. Learners should avoid confusing it with similar-sounding words like 检 (jiǎn), which means 'to inspect'.

HSK Study Tips

While 蕑 is not part of the HSK vocabulary list, it connects to HSK Level 3 plant-related words like 花 (huā, flower) and 树 (shù, tree). Students should focus on recognizing plant-related characters as they expand their vocabulary in natural science contexts.

Common Mistakes

Learners often mispronounce 蕑 as 'jiàn', confusing it with the more common characters. Remember that the correct pronunciation is 'jiān', with a light tone.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 蕑

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Etymology of 蕑

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

plant

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

Jason Etymology Detective

Case file: 蕑

  1. 1The meaning half艹 carries the sense.
  2. 2The sound half閒 is there for the reading, not the meaning.
  3. 3The giveawayplant
  4. 4On the record aspictophonetic.

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

Want the full history of 蕑? 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 蕑?

Decomposition of 蕑

IDS Structure⿱艹閒
蕑Full Character
=
艹cao3
top
閒xian2
bottom
Exercise 1 of 2

Identify the Components

Which of these is a component of 蕑?

How to say a climbing plant; Valeriana villosa in Chinese

“a climbing plant; Valeriana villosa” in Chinese is蕑jiān

The character 蕑 (jiān) refers primarily to a climbing plant, specifically Valeriana villosa, which is known for its medicinal properties. It can also be a surname in Chinese culture. In everyday usage, it is less common and often found in botanical contexts or literature.

When to use 蕑

When using 蕑, be aware that it is rarely used in casual conversation, making it more suitable for academic or botanical discussions. Learners should avoid confusing it with similar-sounding words like 检 (jiǎn), which means 'to inspect'.

What learners get wrong

Learners often mispronounce 蕑 as 'jiàn', confusing it with the more common characters. Remember that the correct pronunciation is 'jiān', with a light tone.

Write 蕑

蕑

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

Write correctly 3 times to earn XP

Frequently Asked Questions about 蕑

蕑 means a climbing plant, specifically Valeriana villosa.

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