粘 (zhān) · to stick, to paste, to glue

Meanings

1 to stick
2 to paste
3 to glue

Characters

粘

zhān

to stick; sticky

Examples

HSK 5

把邮票粘在信封上。

Bǎ yóupiào zhān zài xìnfēng shàng.

Stick the stamp on the envelope.

HSK 6

这个胶水粘得很牢。

Zhège jiāoshuǐ zhān de hěn láo.

This glue sticks very firmly.

Tips

usage

粘 has two pronunciations: zhān (to stick/paste) and nián (sticky, as an adjective). In practice, many speakers use nián for both meanings.

Components

radical

米 mǐ

rice; grain

Rice radical on the left - also 粘's indexing radical (Kangxi #119). Direct semantic anchor: 粘 originally referred to the stickiness of cooked glutinous rice. From boiled grain came all the modern 'sticky, adhere, paste' senses. Same radical in 粉 (powder), 糖 (sugar), 糕 (cake), 粽 (rice dumpling).

phonetic

占 zhān

divine; occupy

Right side 占 supplies the sound directly: zhān to zhān (or nián, an alternate reading). Same phonetic in 站 (zhàn), 战 (zhàn), 沾 (zhān), 钻 (zuān/zuàn), 帖 (tiē/tiě) - the 占 cluster spans zh-/n- readings, with a faint l/n alternation pattern echoed in 粘 nián. Sound only; no semantic contribution from 'divine.'