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撿 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
撿jiǎnto pick up, to gather, to collectx, 16 strokes, radical 扌, rank #80969, Very Hard
jiǎn(jian3) T3
  1. 1to pick up, to gather, to collect
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March 24, 2026

撿jiǎn(jian3)

The character 撿 (jiǎn) means 'to pick up' or 'to gather.' It is commonly used in contexts where someone is collecting items from the ground or gathering things together, often implying a casual or informal action. This character can also be used in various idiomatic expressions related to collecting or salvaging.

Strokes16Radical扌Frequency#80969DifficultyVery Hard
Cultural Note

In Chinese culture, there is often a practical mindset towards collecting items, whether it be picking up discarded goods or gathering natural resources. This reflects the importance of resourcefulness in daily life.

Memory Tip

Imagine a person gently bending down to 'pick up' a beautiful flower from the ground - the action of 'gathering' something precious. The character 撿 consists of the radical 扌 (hand) on the left, which indicates an action done by hand, and the phonetic component 講 (jiǎn), which sounds similar to 'jiǎn'. Picture this as your hand reaching out to 'pick up' something special.

Meanings of 撿

jiǎn(jian3)
1to pick up, to gather, to collect
Exercise 1 of 2

By ear

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About 撿

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

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Podcast: 撿

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AI Study Notes for 撿

Quick Contrast

捡 (jiǎn) vs 拾 (shí) — use 撿 (jiǎn) for informal or casual picking up, while 拾 (shí) is more formal or literary.

Usage Notes

Be careful not to confuse 撿 (jiǎn) with 拾 (shí), which also means 'to pick up' but often has a more formal or literary connotation. 撿 is more informal and often used in everyday conversation. It's also important to pay attention to the tone; mispronouncing it as 'jian' (without the third tone) may lead to misunderstandings.

HSK Study Tips

While 撿 is not currently featured in the HSK vocabulary lists, it connects well with other action verbs like 拾 (shí) and 取 (qǔ) which deal with picking or obtaining things. Focus on practicing sentences that incorporate this verb to enhance your vocabulary around gathering actions.

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 撿 with 拾, mistakenly using 撿 in formal contexts. For example, saying '我撿书' (Wǒ jiǎn shū) when they should use '我拾书' (Wǒ shí shū) in a formal setting.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 撿

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Etymology of 撿

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

Phonosemantic compound. 扌 represents the meaning and 佥 represents the sound. Simplified form of 撿.

Memory Hint

hand

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

Origin

撿 = 扌 + 僉. What kind of character does that make it?

Decomposition of 撿

IDS Structure⿰扌僉
撿Full Character
=
扌shou3
left
僉qian1
right
Exercise 1 of 2

Parts

Which of these is part of 撿?

How to say to pick up, to gather, to collect in Chinese

“to pick up, to gather, to collect” in Chinese is撿jiǎn

The character 撿 (jiǎn) means 'to pick up' or 'to gather.' It is commonly used in contexts where someone is collecting items from the ground or gathering things together, often implying a casual or informal action. This character can also be used in various idiomatic expressions related to collecting or salvaging.

When to use 撿

Be careful not to confuse 撿 (jiǎn) with 拾 (shí), which also means 'to pick up' but often has a more formal or literary connotation. 撿 is more informal and often used in everyday conversation. It's also important to pay attention to the tone; mispronouncing it as 'jian' (without the third tone) may lead to misunderstandings.

撿 or something close to it

捡 (jiǎn) vs 拾 (shí) — use 撿 (jiǎn) for informal or casual picking up, while 拾 (shí) is more formal or literary.

What learners get wrong

Learners often confuse 撿 with 拾, mistakenly using 撿 in formal contexts. For example, saying '我撿书' (Wǒ jiǎn shū) when they should use '我拾书' (Wǒ shí shū) in a formal setting.

Write 撿

撿

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

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Word Family of 撿

Words Containing This Character1
捡jiǎnto pick up撿
Exercise 1 of 1

Characters with 撿

What does 捡 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 撿

You can say '我在公园里撿到了一枚硬币' (Wǒ zài gōngyuán lǐ jiǎn dào le yī méi yìngbì) meaning 'I picked up a coin in the park.'

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