繁
Character learning workspace

fán · complex, difficult

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

Watch · inspect · write

Learn every stroke in 繁

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 繁 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

17Total strokes

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

Top-bottomCharacter structure

Keep the upper section balanced above the lower section.

糸Key radical

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

Print and practise

Download a 繁 writing sheet

Get a ready-to-use A4 sheet immediately, or open the full builder to change its grid and guidance.

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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 繁

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

fánWords pronounced fán
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Example sentences

Notice where 繁 sits in each complete thought.

Mǎ yǎ wén míng fán róng le duō jiǔ?玛雅文明繁荣了多久?

For how long did the Maya culture flourish?

Source: Tatoeba #1948457 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Zhè lǐ jiāo tōng fán máng.这里交通繁忙。

Traffic is busy here.

Source: Tatoeba #3667795 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Shù yuè hòu, tā mén huí dào le běi jí de fán zhí dì.數月後,牠們回到了北極的繁殖地。

A few months later they return to their breeding grounds in the Arctic.

Source: Tatoeba #346147 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Zuì jìn pín fán de dì zhèn ràng wǒ men hěn jiāo lǜ.最近频繁的地震让我们很焦虑。

The recent frequency of earthquakes makes us nervous.

Source: Tatoeba #796120 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Zhōng guó fú yuán liáo kuò , yīn ér chá de pǐn zhǒng fán duō.中国幅员辽阔,因而茶的品种繁多。

China's territory is vast, thus the types of tea vary.

Source: Tatoeba #1700074 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Ā ěr jí ěr shì yí zuò yǒu zhe chāo guò sān bǎi duō wàn rén kǒu de fán huá dūshì.阿尔及尔是一座有着超过三百多万人口的繁华都市。

Algiers is a bustling city of over three million people.

Source: Tatoeba #8560794 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Turn reference into recall

How to study 繁 in context

  1. Say fán, then recall the core meaning: complex, difficult.
  2. Write all 17 strokes while keeping the top-bottom balanced.
  3. Use it in 繁荣 (fán róng), meaning “prosperous”.
  4. Read the complete sentence aloud once, then cover the translation and explain how 繁 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.