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闞 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
闞hǎnto glance, to peep; to growl, to roarx, 20 strokes, radical 門
hǎn(han3)han T3
  1. 1to glance, to peep; to growl, to roar
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March 24, 2026

闞hǎn(han3)

The character 闞 (hǎn) primarily means to glance or peep at something. It can also convey the notion of a growl or roar, typically used to describe animal sounds. This word is not commonly used in everyday conversation but may appear in literary contexts or specific animal-related discussions.

Strokes20Radical門
Cultural note

In traditional Chinese poetry, sounds of nature, including animal growls, are often used symbolically to convey emotions or settings, making 闞 relevant in literary discussions about nature and wildlife.

Memory tip

Imagine a lion (which is known for its roar) peeking through a door (the radical '门' means door). The '门' represents the act of glancing or peeping, while the lion's growl connects to the second meaning of the character. Picture this lion growling as it glances through the door to capture the pronunciation 'hǎn'.

Meanings of 闞

hǎn(han3)
1to glance, to peep; to growl, to roar
Exercise 1 of 2

By ear

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About 闞

闞Simplified
20Strokes
門Radical
非语素字non-morpheme character (n-m.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 闞

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Podcast: 闞

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AI Study Notes for 闞

Usage Notes

Be careful not to confuse 闞 with similar-sounding characters, as it is not used frequently in spoken Mandarin. It is more suitable for written contexts, particularly in literature. When using this character, be mindful of the tone; a mispronunciation can lead to confusion with unrelated words.

HSK Study Tips

As 闞 is not part of the HSK vocabulary, learners should focus on recognizing it in context rather than memorizing it. Connect it to characters associated with animals or sounds to deepen understanding, especially with verbs related to actions like peeping or roaring.

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 闞 with similar characters like 看 (kàn, to see) due to similar meanings. It's important to remember that 闞 specifically implies a more secretive or stealthy glance, unlike the more general 看.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 闞

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Etymology of 闞

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

gate

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

Origin

闞 = 門 + 敢. What kind of character does that make it?

Decomposition of 闞

IDS Structure⿵門敢
闞Full character
=
門men2
enclosing
敢gan3
inner
Exercise 1 of 2

Parts

Which of these is part of 闞?

How to say to glance, to peep; to growl, to roar in Chinese

“to glance, to peep; to growl, to roar” in Chinese is闞hǎn

The character 闞 (hǎn) primarily means to glance or peep at something. It can also convey the notion of a growl or roar, typically used to describe animal sounds. This word is not commonly used in everyday conversation but may appear in literary contexts or specific animal-related discussions.

When to use 闞

Be careful not to confuse 闞 with similar-sounding characters, as it is not used frequently in spoken Mandarin. It is more suitable for written contexts, particularly in literature. When using this character, be mindful of the tone; a mispronunciation can lead to confusion with unrelated words.

What learners get wrong

Learners often confuse 闞 with similar characters like 看 (kàn, to see) due to similar meanings. It's important to remember that 闞 specifically implies a more secretive or stealthy glance, unlike the more general 看.

Write 闞

闞

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

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Word Family of 闞

Words containing this character1
阚hǎnto glance闞
Exercise 1 of 1

Characters with 闞

What does 阚 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 闞

No, 闞 is more often found in literary or poetic contexts rather than in everyday spoken Mandarin.

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