残
Character learning workspace

cán · to injure, to ruin, to spoil

Master the form, understand its parts, and learn how it behaves in real Chinese.

HSK 3.0 · Level 7-9Frequency #4560
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Learn every stroke in 残

Replay the complete order, pause on difficult movements, inspect one stroke at a time, then write it yourself with live correction.

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Stroke graphics: Make Me a Hanzi / Arphic Public License
Step-by-step explorer

See how 残 is constructed

Switch between the accumulated form and the isolated movement of each stroke.

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Character anatomy

Understand the reusable parts

The decomposition shows how the visual pieces fit together, not necessarily the character’s historical origin.

Writing notes

Shape and proportion

9Total strokes

Count each continuous pen movement once, including turns and hooks.

Left-rightCharacter structure

Keep the left side compact and leave enough room for the right side.

歹Key radical

Use the highlighted radical in the animation as a visual anchor for remembering the form.

Print and practise

Download a 残 writing sheet

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Includes the stroke sequence, progressive tracing, and blank writing squares. Generated locally in your browser.

Vocabulary in context

Common words with 残

Open a word for its full breakdown, or listen before reading the meaning.

cánWords pronounced cán
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Example sentences

Notice where 残 sits in each complete thought.

Tāng mǔ yǒu cán jí.汤姆有残疾。

Tom is handicapped.

Source: Tatoeba #5158830 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Duì dòng wù lái shuō zhè bú shì shén me cán kù de shì qíng.对动物来说这不是什么残酷的事情。

When it comes to animals, this can't be considered as being something cruel.

Source: Tatoeba #1659167 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Māma yǒu yì zhāng cán quē de liǎn.妈妈有一张残缺的脸。

Mama had a crippled face.

Source: Tatoeba #4844787 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Tā gēn tā shuō zhè yàng de huà zhēn shì tài cán rěn le.他跟她说这样的话真是太残忍了。

It is cruel of him to say such things to her.

Source: Tatoeba #333713 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Wǒ bù rěn mù dǔ zhè zhǒng cán kù de xíng jìng.我不忍目睹这种残酷的行径。

I cannot abide to see such cruelty.

Source: Tatoeba #2054116 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Wǒ cóng lái méi xiǎng dào tā néng zuò dào nà me cán rěn de shì.我从来没想到他能做到那么残忍的事。

I never thought he was capable of doing something so cruel.

Source: Tatoeba #747640 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Turn reference into recall

How to study 残 in context

  1. Say cán, then recall the core meaning: to injure, to ruin, to spoil.
  2. Write all 9 strokes while keeping the left-right balanced.
  3. Use it in 残疾 (cán jí), meaning “disabled”.
  4. Read the complete sentence aloud once, then cover the translation and explain how 残 works in that context.

Definitions and traditional forms are compiled from Make Me a Hanzi, HSK curriculum data, and CC-CEDICT. Sourced example sentences link to Tatoeba; editorial examples are labeled separately. Review data sources and licenses.