Spot 先
Find the repeated shape and notice where it sits before trying to memorize the whole character.
Visual pattern
先 component
xiān · first, former, previous
A recurring visual building block found inside multiple Chinese characters. Compare what stays the same and what changes across the family.
A repeatable reading move
How to use 先
Use the component as a clue, then verify the complete character.
Compare the visual pattern
Use the stable shape to recognize the family, without assuming it always supplies meaning or sound.
Check what changes
Read the remaining component, then confirm the full pinyin, meaning, and stroke order on the character page.
Shared clue先Visual pattern
Read the pattern before memorizing the list
Use the shared shape as a recognition anchor, then confirm the full character's pronunciation and meaning.
The component page is a learning family; the radical page is a dictionary index. A shape can serve both roles.
Compare the family
What stays the same, what changes?
Each card keeps 先 visible while showing the other building blocks and the completed character.
选=
辶
洗=
氵
诜=
讠
冼=
冫
宪=
宀
铣=
钅
兟=
筅=
⺮
酰=
酉
跣=
足
銑=
釒
Move into vocabulary
Words you can read next
These words contain characters from the 先 family. Open one to see its complete breakdown.
洗xǐ
to wash
HSK 3.0 · L2洗手间xǐshǒujiāntoilet
HSK 3.0 · L2洗衣机xǐyījīwashing machine
HSK 3.0 · L3洗澡xǐzǎoto bathe
HSK 3.0 · L3选xuǎnto choose
HSK 3.0 · L3选择xuǎnzéto select
HSK 3.0 · L3挑选tiāoxuǎnto choose
HSK 3.0 · L5选手xuǎnshǒuathlete
HSK 3.0 · L5当选dāngxuǎnto be elected
HSK 3.0 · L6评选píngxuǎnto select on the basis of a vote or consensus
HSK 3.0 · L6清洗qīngxǐto wash
HSK 3.0 · L6入选rùxuǎnto be included among those selected for
HSK 3.0 · L6