箭 (jiàn): arrow, CL:支
箭 (jiàn) is a Chinese character meaning “arrow.” Classified as HSK Level 6 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of ⺮ (semantic) and 前 (phonetic). It ranks #1487 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 箭 bamboo. Its radical form 竹 (bamboo) appears in many related characters such as 笑 (xiào, to laugh), 第 (dì, (prefix indicating ordinal number, as in 第六[di4 liu4] "sixth")), 等 (děng, to wait for).
Definitions
- arrow
- CL:支
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 箭 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 火箭 | huǒ jiàn | rocket |
| 弓箭 | gōng jiàn | bow and arrow |
| 箭头 | jiàn tóu | arrowhead |
| 火箭筒 | huǒ jiàn tǒng | bazooka |
| 射箭 | shè jiàn | archery |
| 挡箭牌 | dǎng jiàn pái | arrow-blocking shield |
| 火箭炮 | huǒ jiàn pào | rocket artillery |
| 暗箭 | àn jiàn | attack by a hidden enemy |
| 火箭弹 | huǒ jiàn dàn | rocket (artillery) |
| 箭鱼 | jiàn yú | variant of 劍魚|剑鱼[jian4 yu2] |
| 归心似箭 | guī xīn sì jiàn | with one's heart set on speeding home (idiom) |
| 令箭 | lìng jiàn | arrow banner of command (archaic used as symbol of military authority) |
| 箭竹 | jiàn zhú | bamboo (genus Fargesia) |
| 上箭头 | shàng jiàn tóu | up-pointing arrow |
| 下箭头 | xià jiàn tóu | down-pointing arrow |
箭 appears in 56 compound words: 21 as the first character, 34 as the last, and 45 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 箭 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (6)
to have one's heart set on returning home; to have an urge to return home
lit. one arrow, two golden eagles (idiom); to kill two birds with one stone
Showing 5 of 6 idioms containing 箭.
Example Sentences
写好箭字需要掌握正确的笔画顺序。
xiě hǎo jiàn zì xū yāo zhǎng wò zhēng què de bǐ huà shùn xù .
To write the character "箭" correctly, you need to master the proper stroke order.
罗恩璇:火箭“道德绑架”,还是制度选择?
luó ēn 璇 : huǒ jiàn dào dé bǎng jià , hái shì zhì dù xuǎn zé ?
Luo Enxuan: Rocket "moral kidnapping", or institutional choice?
美成功测试增程型导引火箭弹 射程达150公里精确打击
měi chéng gōng cè shì zēng chéng xíng dǎo yǐn huǒ jiàn dàn shè chéng dá 1 5 0 gōng lǐ jīng què dǎ jī
The United States successfully tested an extended-range guided rocket with a range of 150 kilometers for precision strikes
...后开学采购即时到位 Coupang酷澎火箭速配隔日到货
. . . hòu kāi xué cǎi gòu jí shí dào wèi C o u p a n g kù péng huǒ jiàn sù pèi gé rì dào huò
... After the start of school, the purchase was immediately in place, and Coupang Cool Peng rocket speed dating arrived the next day
中原、台师大双箭齐发 收6连胜问鼎冠军
zhōng yuán , tái shī dà shuāng jiàn qí fā shōu 6 lián shèng wèn dǐng guàn jūn
Central Plains and Taiwan Normal University won 6 consecutive victories to win the championship
凯基金五箭齐发 获利亮眼
kǎi jī jīn wǔ jiàn qí fā huò lì liàng yǎn
Kai Fund made eye-catching profits
哪一件休斯敦火箭球衣最好看？
Nǎ yī jiàn Xiūsīdūn huǒjiàn qiú yī zuì hǎokàn?
Which Houston Rockets jersey looks the nicest?
光阴飞逝如箭; 果蝇喜欢香蕉。
Guāngyīn fēishì rú jiàn; guǒyíng xǐhuan xiāngjiāo.
Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.
蠢人一下子就把箭射完。
Chǔnrén yīxiàzi jiù bǎ jiàn shè wán.
A fool's bolt is soon shot.
佐藤先生在周末练习射箭。
Zuǒténg xiānsheng zài zhōumò liànxí shèjiàn.
Mr. Sato practices archery on weekends.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 箭 (jiàn) mean in Chinese?
How many strokes does 箭 have?
What is the radical of 箭?
What are the components of 箭?
What are common words containing 箭?
What characters sound the same as 箭 (jiàn)?
Is 箭 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 箭 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear native pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.