Skip to content
Start your Chinese Learning JourneyStart Now
嫻 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
嫻xiánelegant, refined, skillfulx, 15 strokes, radical 女
xián(xian2) T2
  1. 1elegant, refined, skillful
Listen to the audio pronunciation 3 times to gain XP
March 24, 2026

嫻xián(xian2)

The character 嫻 (xián) conveys a sense of elegance, refinement, and skillfulness, often used to describe a person's demeanor or capabilities. It is commonly associated with women who exhibit poise and grace, and can also refer to refined skills in various crafts or arts.

Strokes15Radical女
Cultural Note

In Chinese culture, elegance and refinement are highly valued traits, especially for women. The character 嫻 signifies not just physical grace but also the importance of inner qualities such as knowledge and skill.

Memory Tip

Imagine a graceful woman (the character 嫻 has a woman component 女) elegantly performing a dance that embodies skill (the sound xián can remind you of 'shine' as in shining skills). Visualize her captivating everyone with her refined movements, which helps you remember both the meaning and pronunciation.

Meanings of 嫻

xián(xian2)
1elegant, refined, skillful
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 嫻

嫻Simplified
15Strokes
女Radical
非语素字non-morpheme character (n-m.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 嫻

JasonAmy

Podcast: 嫻

Listen to Jason & Amy break down this word for you

AI Study Notes for 嫻

Quick Contrast

娴 (xián) — use 嫻 when emphasizing elegance or refinement in demeanor, while 娴 focuses more on skillfulness or proficiency.

Usage Notes

Be cautious of using 嫻 in overly casual contexts, as it tends to carry a formal or literary tone. Common collocations include 嫻雅 (xián yǎ, elegant) and 嫻熟 (xián shú, skillful). Ensure correct pronunciation, as misplacing tones can alter the meaning.

HSK Study Tips

Although 嫻 is not part of the official HSK vocabulary list, it shares characteristics with HSK-level adjectives related to beauty and skill. Students should focus on understanding its nuances in describing people and their qualities, which may help in advanced conversations.

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 嫻 with similar-sounding characters like 贤 (xián), which means virtuous or worthy. Remember, 嫻 focuses more on elegance and skill rather than moral qualities.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 嫻

Premium — Locked

AI tone practice

Pro

Drill the tone of 嫻 with AI-powered exercises, get instant feedback, and earn XP toward mastery. Interactive tone practice is part of Pro.

Tone drillsInstant feedback+5 XP
See plans to unlock

Etymology of 嫻

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

woman

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

Jason Etymology Detective

Case file: 嫻

  1. 1The meaning half女 carries the sense.
  2. 2The sound half閑 is there for the reading, not the meaning.
  3. 3The giveawaywoman
  4. 4On the record aspictophonetic.

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

Want the full history of 嫻? 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 嫻?

Decomposition of 嫻

IDS Structure⿰女閑
嫻Full Character
=
女nü3
left
閑xian2
right
Exercise 1 of 2

Identify the Components

Which of these is a component of 嫻?

How to say elegant, refined, skillful in Chinese

“elegant, refined, skillful” in Chinese is嫻xián

The character 嫻 (xián) conveys a sense of elegance, refinement, and skillfulness, often used to describe a person's demeanor or capabilities. It is commonly associated with women who exhibit poise and grace, and can also refer to refined skills in various crafts or arts.

When to use 嫻

Be cautious of using 嫻 in overly casual contexts, as it tends to carry a formal or literary tone. Common collocations include 嫻雅 (xián yǎ, elegant) and 嫻熟 (xián shú, skillful). Ensure correct pronunciation, as misplacing tones can alter the meaning.

嫻 or something close to it

娴 (xián) — use 嫻 when emphasizing elegance or refinement in demeanor, while 娴 focuses more on skillfulness or proficiency.

What learners get wrong

Learners often confuse 嫻 with similar-sounding characters like 贤 (xián), which means virtuous or worthy. Remember, 嫻 focuses more on elegance and skill rather than moral qualities.

Write 嫻

嫻

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

Write correctly 3 times to earn XP

Word Family of 嫻

Words Containing This Character5
娴熟adept嫻熟
娴xiánelegant嫻
娴静gentle and refined嫻靜
娴雅refined嫻雅
娴淑ladylike嫻淑
Exercise 1 of 4

Compound Meaning

What does 娴熟 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 嫻

You can say, 她非常嫻熟地演奏钢琴 (Tā fēicháng xiánshú de yǎnzòu gāngqín), which means 'She plays the piano very skillfully.'

Jason Recommends

Not sure what to learn after 嫻?

Jason picks three words from your level and explains why each one is worth your time next. It takes a free account so he knows what you already know.