参 (cān): to take part in, to participate, to join, to attend, to counsel, unequal
参 (cān) is a Chinese character meaning “to take part in.” Classified as HSK Level 3 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), with radical 厶 (private). It ranks #507 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 参 is a compound character. Its radical form 厶 (private) appears in many related characters such as 去 (qù, to go), 县 (xiàn, county).
Definitions
- to take part in
- to participate
- to join
- to attend
- to counsel
- unequal
Etymology & Origin
pictophoneticThis character is a compound form.
Decomposition: ⿱⿱厶大彡 (layout: top-bottom)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 参 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 参
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 参加verb | cān jiā | to participate | 3 |
| 参与verb | cān yù | to participate (in sth) | 5 |
| 参观verb | cān guān | to visit (a place, e.g. museum or factory) | 4 |
| 参赛verb | cān sài | to compete | 4 |
| 参展verb | cān zhǎn | to exhibit at or take part in a trade show etc | 6 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 参议员 | cān yì yuán | senator |
| 参赛者 | cān sài zhě | competitor |
| 参军 | cān jūn | to join the army |
| 参议院 | cān yì yuàn | senate |
| 参考 | cān kǎo | consultation |
| 参选 | cān xuǎn | to be a candidate in an election or other selection process |
| 参战 | cān zhàn | to go to war |
| 参谋长 | cān móu zhǎng | chief of staff |
| 参演 | cān yǎn | to take part in a performance |
| 参数 | cān shù | parameter |
| 参见 | cān jiàn | to refer to |
| 参与者 | cān yù zhě | participant |
| 参照 | cān zhào | to consult a reference |
| 参谋 | cān móu | staff officer |
| 人参 | rén shēn | ginseng |
参 appears in 100 compound words: 66 as the first character, 19 as the last, and 15 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 参 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (4)
Example Sentences
参加这次培训让我学到了很多新知识，收获很大。
Cānjiā zhè cì péixùn ràng wǒ xué dào le hěn duō xīn zhīshi, shōuhuò hěn dà.
Participating in this training allowed me to learn a lot of new knowledge; the gains were substantial.
中国公务员春节参加相亲 炫富有宾利、保时捷、房子很多
zhōng guó gōng wù yuán chūn jié cān jiā xiāng qīn xuàn fù yǒu bīn lì , bǎo shí jié , fáng zǐ hěn duō
Chinese civil servants participate in the blind date during the Spring Festival and show off their wealth Bentley, Porsche, and many houses
全球退党中心参加纽约新年游行 华人致敬
quán qiú tuì dǎng zhōng xīn cān jiā niǔ yuē xīn nián yóu háng huá rén zhì jìng
The Global Center for Withdrawal from the Party participates in the New York New Year's Parade Chinese tribute
回应法国质疑 欧委会称受邀参加“和平委员会”会议是..
huí yīng fǎ guó zhì yí ōu wěi huì chèn shòu yāo cān jiā hé píng wěi yuán huì huì yì shì . .
In response to France's doubts, the European Commission said that the invitation to the meeting of the "Peace Commission" was:
一文回顾徐梦桃冬奥会风雪卫冕路:16年间参加5届奥..
yī wén huí gù xú mèng táo dōng ào huì fēng xuě wèi 冕 lù nián jiān cān jiā jiè ào . .
An article review Xu Mengtao winter Olympic wind and snow defense road: 16 years to participate in five o...
莎拉·杜特尔特宣布参加2028年菲律宾总统大选
莎 lā dù tè ěr tè xuān bù cān jiā nián 菲 lǜ bīn zǒng tǒng dà xuǎn
Sara Duterte announces her candidacy for the 2028 Philippine presidential election.
你参加社团活动吗？
Nǐ cānjiā shètuán huódòng ma?
Do you take part in any community activities?
参加派对的话，你会穿哪一件衣服？
Cānjiā pàiduì dehuà, nǐ huì chuān nǎ yī jiàn yīfu?
When considering the party, what kind of clothes are you going to wear?
您参观过东京塔吗？
Nín cānguān guo Dōngjīngtǎ ma?
Did you visit the Tokyo Tower?
你们说了要参加会议了吗？
Nǐmen shuō le yào cānjiā huìyì le ma?
Did you say you wanted to participate in the meeting?
Character Family
厶 Radical Family — Characters sharing the private radical
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 参 (cān) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 参 and 衫?
How many strokes does 参 have?
What is the radical of 参?
What are common words containing 参?
What characters sound the same as 参 (cān)?
Is 参 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 参 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear native pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.