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嫌 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
嫌xiánto dislikeHSK 6, v, 13 strokes, radical 女, rank #6749, Hard
嫌xiánsuspicionHSK 6, v, 13 strokes, radical 女, rank #6749, Hard
嫌xiánresentmentHSK 6, v, 13 strokes, radical 女, rank #6749, Hard
嫌xiánenmityHSK 6, v, 13 strokes, radical 女, rank #6749, Hard
嫌xiánabbr. for 嫌犯[xián fàn], criminal suspectHSK 6, v, 13 strokes, radical 女, rank #6749, Hard
嫌xiánto hate, to detest; to criticize; to suspectHSK 6, v, 13 strokes, radical 女, rank #6749, Hard
嫌xiánabbr. for 嫌犯[xian2 fan4], criminal suspectHSK 6, unknown, 13 strokes, radical 女, rank #6749, Hard
xián(xian2) T2
  1. 1to dislike
  2. 2suspicion
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March 24, 2026
嫌xián(xian2)

The character 嫌 (xián) conveys a sense of dislike or suspicion towards someone or something. It's commonly used in contexts expressing resentment or criticism, particularly when someone feels negatively about a situation or person. In legal terminology, it abbreviates to refer to a 'criminal suspect'.

Strokes13Radical女Frequency#6749DifficultyHard
Cultural Note

In Chinese culture, expressing dislike directly can be seen as impolite. Thus, 嫌 is often used in a more indirect way to convey subtle feelings of resentment, reflecting the value placed on harmony in social interactions.

Memory Tip

Imagine a woman (女) who feels a deep dislike (嫌) towards a person who has wronged her. The character combines the radical for 'female' (女) with the sound 'xián,' making it easy to remember that it relates to feelings of resentment that can arise in interpersonal relationships.

Meanings of 嫌

xián(xian2)
1to dislike
2suspicion
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

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About 嫌

嫌Simplified
13Strokes
女Radical
动词dòngcíverb (v.)Part of Speech
#6749Frequency Rank
HSK 2.0L6HSK 3.0L6IntermediateHSKKL3CEFRC1

Podcast: 嫌

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Podcast: 嫌

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AI Study Notes for 嫌

Quick Contrast

嫌 (xián) vs 讨厌 (tǎoyàn) — use 嫌 for a more formal or critical tone, while 讨厌 is more casual and commonly used in everyday conversation.

Memory Mnemonic

Imagine a woman (女) who feels a deep dislike (嫌) towards a person who has wronged her. The character combines the radical for 'female' (女) with the sound 'xián,' making it easy to remember that it relates to feelings of resentment that can arise in interpersonal relationships.

Usage Notes

Be cautious with the tone when using 嫌, as it can carry a strong negative connotation. It’s often used in informal contexts, so be mindful of the audience when expressing dislike. Common collocations include 嫌弃 (xiánqì, to despise) and 嫌疑 (xiányí, suspicion).

HSK Study Tips

As a level 6 HSK word, 嫌 connects to themes of emotions and interpersonal relationships. Focus on differentiating it from similar words like 恨 (hèn, to hate) and 讨厌 (tǎoyàn, to detest), which convey different intensities of dislike.

Cultural Note

In Chinese culture, expressing dislike directly can be seen as impolite. Thus, 嫌 is often used in a more indirect way to convey subtle feelings of resentment, reflecting the value placed on harmony in social interactions.

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 嫌 with 讨厌 (tǎoyàn). For instance, saying '我很嫌这个' (Wǒ hěn xián zhège) is incorrect; the appropriate phrase would be '我很讨厌这个' (Wǒ hěn tǎoyàn zhège) to express strong dislike.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 嫌

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Etymology of 嫌

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

Phonosemantic compound. 女 represents the meaning and 兼 represents the sound.

Memory Hint

woman

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

Character Formation Type

What type of character formation is 嫌?

Decomposition of 嫌

IDS Structure⿰女兼
嫌Full Character
=
女nü3
left
兼jian1
right
Exercise 1 of 2

Identify the Components

Which of these is a component of 嫌?

Write 嫌

嫌

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

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Grammar Patterns of 嫌

嫌 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 7 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.

Related grammar lessons2
Exercise 1 of 1

Complete the Sentence

他这个人真是麻烦，总是____这嫌那的。

This person is really troublesome — always complaining about everything.

Example Sentences for 嫌 (10)

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1
我觉得那样做也许可以让他们冰释前嫌。

wǒ jué dé nà yàng zuò yě xǔ kě yǐ ràng tā mén bīng shì qián xián。

I felt that might well mend the rift between them.
2
对某些有不忠嫌疑的官员已经提起了诉讼。

duì mǒu xiē yǒu bù zhōng xián yí de guān yuán yǐ jīng tí qǐ le sù sòng。

Charges had already been made against certain officials suspected of disloyalty.
3
迄今为止，我们掌握的能够指证两个嫌疑犯的证据少得可怜。

qì jīn wéi zhǐ， ， wǒ mén zhǎng wò de néng gòu zhǐ zhèng liǎng gè xián yí fàn de zhèng jù shǎo dé kě。

So far, what scanty evidence we have points to two suspects.
4
那两具尸体被辨认出原是两名贩毒嫌疑犯。

nà liǎng jù shī tǐ bèi biàn rèn chū yuán shì liǎng míng fàn dú xián yí fàn。

The bodies were identified as those of two suspected drug dealers.
5
调查人员说有近10万美元汇入了嫌疑人的银行账户。

tiáo chá rén yuán shuō yǒu jìn10 10 wàn měi yuán huì rù le xián yí rén de yín háng zhàng。

Investigators say nearly $100,000 was wired into the suspect's bank accounts.
6
“布雷迪看着像个嫌疑犯。”——“我会去把他抓起来的。”

“ “ bù léi dí kàn zháo xiàng gè xián yí。”——“ fàn 。”——“ wǒ huì qù bǎ tā zhuā qǐ。”

"Brady looks like a suspect." — "I'd pull him in."
7
一天天过去,哈里代的评论越来越肆无忌惮,越来越讨人嫌,越来越阴损了.

yī tiān tiān guò qù, , hā lǐ dài de píng lùn yuè lái yuè sì wú jì, dàn , yuè lái yuè tǎo, rén xián , yuè lái yuè.

Halliday's comments grew daily more and more sparklingly disagreeable and disparaging.
8
嫌疑犯有着一头黑发和一双绿眼睛。

xián yí fàn yǒu zháo yī tóu hēi fā hé yī shuāng lǜ yǎn jīng。

The suspect has dark hair and green eyes.
9
他的诗篇虽然庄严巧妙, 却有猜迷之嫌.

tā de shī piān suī rán zhuāng yán qiǎo miào, , què yǒu cāi mí zhī.

His poems, despite their dignity and felicity, have an air of charade.
10
这篇文章内容不错, 只是文字略嫌罗唆.

zhè piān wén zhāng nèi róng bù cuò, , zhī shì wén zì lüè xián luó.

The article is good in content, only it's a bit wordy.

Cultural Notes for 嫌

🏮Cultural insight

In Chinese culture, expressing dislike directly can be seen as impolite. Thus, 嫌 is often used in a more indirect way to convey subtle feelings of resentment, reflecting the value placed on harmony in social interactions.

Word Family of 嫌

Words Containing This Character20
嫌疑人a suspect
嫌犯criminal suspect
涉嫌shèxiánto be suspected of
嫌xiánto dislike
嫌疑犯a suspect
嫌疑xiányísuspicion
嫌弃xiánqìto ignore嫌棄
前嫌former hatred
避嫌to avoid arousing suspicion
稍嫌somewhat
嫌恶to loathe嫌惡
讨嫌hateful討嫌
嫌贫爱富snobbish嫌貧愛富
嫌隙hostility
讨人嫌unpleasant討人嫌
尽释前嫌to forget former enmity (idiom)盡釋前嫌
嫌怨grievance
嫌忌suspicion
嫌厌to loathe嫌厭
夙嫌old grudge
Exercise 1 of 4

Compound Meaning

What does 嫌疑人 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 嫌

Synonyms include 讨厌 (tǎoyàn, to detest) and 恨 (hèn, to hate), but 嫌 often implies a more nuanced feeling of suspicion or criticism.