宽

寬
kuān
adjective HSK 5 #4,760

Meanings

  1. 1 wide
  2. 2 broad
  3. 3 lenient
  4. 4 relaxed

Examples

HSK 2
Zhè tiáo lù hěn kuān.
This road is very wide.
HSK 3
Zhè tiáo hé yǒu wǔshí mǐ kuān.
This river is fifty meters wide.
HSK 5
Lǎoshī duì xuésheng hěn kuānróng.
The teacher is very lenient with students.

Tips

usage
宽 measures width (compared to 长 for length). For measurements: X 米宽 (X meters wide). For personality: 心宽 = broad-minded.

Components

radical
宀 mián
roof (radical)
Top roof radical - the indexing radical. Frames 宽 as a spacious dwelling. Originally 寬 depicted a roof under which there was room enough to keep a wild horned goat 萈; the roof radical preserves that 'space-under-cover' image. Same family as 家 home, 安 peace, 守 to guard, 富 wealth.
phonetic
苋 xiàn
amaranth (graphic substitute for 萈)
Bottom 苋 - graphic substitute for traditional 萈, the horned wild goat. In simplification the goat lost its distinctive top, leaving 艹 + 见, coinciding with the standalone plant-name 苋. Carries the phonetic frame from 萈 drifted to kuān; the amaranth meaning is a coincidence, not the intended reading.

Stroke Order

宽 kuān