捡 (jiǎn) · to pick up (from the ground)

Meanings

1 to pick up (from the ground)
2 to collect; to gather

Characters

捡

jiǎn

to pick up; to collect

Examples

HSK 2

我在路上捡到一个钱包。

Wǒ zài lùshàng jiǎn dào yī gè qiánbāo.

I found a wallet on the road.

HSK 7-9

他弯腰捡起一枚硬币。

Tā wānyāo jiǎn qǐ yī méi yìngbì.

He bent down and picked up a coin.

HSK 7-9

小朋友在公园里捡树叶。

Xiǎopéngyǒu zài gōngyuán lǐ jiǎn shùyè.

The children are collecting leaves in the park.

Tips

usage

捡 vs 拣 (jiǎn): 捡 means to pick up something from the ground. 拣 means to select/choose from among things. In practice, they're sometimes used interchangeably, but 捡 is the standard for 'pick up.'

usage

捡到 = to find (by picking up). 捡垃圾 = to pick up trash. 捡便宜 = to get a bargain / to take advantage.

Components

radical

扌 shǒu

hand (left-side radical)

Left hand radical - three strokes, the compressed left-side form of 手. Anchors 捡 in the verbs-of-the-hand family alongside 拿 (take), 打 (hit), 推 (push), 拉 (pull), 抓 (grab). Tells the reader at a glance: this character names something the hand does - here, picking up.

phonetic

佥 qiān

all; together (phonetic)

Right phonetic 佥 - supplies the sound (qiān drifted to jiǎn, regular palatalisation). Originally meant 'all together, jointly.' Simplified from traditional 僉; the 1956 reform kept the phonetic intact. Same phonetic family covers 检 (inspect), 验 (test), 险 (danger), 剑 (sword), 脸 (face) - 捡's twin 检 differs only in radical.