冉 (rǎn): surname Ran, edge of a tortoiseshell, used in 冉冉

冉 (rǎn) is a Chinese character meaning “edge of a tortoiseshell.” Outside the HSK 3.0 syllabus (CLEC 2022), it is composed of 冂 (structural) and 土 (structural). It ranks #3764 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).

Spoken pronunciation

Radical: 冂 wide5 strokesFrequency #3764冂 structural 土 structural

Definitions

surname Ran
edge of a tortoiseshell
used in 冉冉

Stroke Order

Practice writing 冉 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
冉冉	rǎn rǎn	gradually
冉冉上升	rǎn rǎn shàng shēng	to ascend slowly

Total compounds

100

As first character

As last character

As middle character

冉 appears in 2 compound words: 100 as the first character, 0 as the last, and 0 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.

Example Sentences

中国新闻网·体育Sep 2026

由姚千寻、姜冉馨、沈奕瑶组成的中国队夺得女子10米气手枪团体金牌，成功卫冕。

yóu yáo qiān xún , jiāng rǎn xīn , shěn yì yáo zǔ chéng de zhōng guó duì duó dé nǚ zǐ 1 0 mǐ qì shǒu qiāng tuán tǐ jīn pái , chéng gōng wèi miǎn .

The Chinese team, consisting of Yao Qianxun, Jiang Ranxin, and Shen Yiyao, won the gold medal in the women’s 10-meter air pistol team event, successfully defending their title.

中国新闻网·生活Aug 2026

李冉说，这也是大家容易产生的误区。

lǐ rǎn shuō , zhè yě shì dà jiā róng yì chǎn shēng de wù qū .

Li Ran said that this is also a common misconception.

中国新闻网·体育Aug 2026

中新社记者刘冉阳摄本轮，云南玉昆主场1:0小胜领头羊成都蓉城。

zhōng xīn shè jì zhě liú rǎn yáng shè běn lún , yún nán yù kūn zhǔ chǎng 1 : 0 xiǎo shèng lǐng tóu yáng chéng dōu róng chéng .

Photo by Liu Ranyang, China News Service. In this round, Yunnan Yukun secured a narrow 1-0 home victory over league-leading Chengdu Rongcheng.

中国新闻网·文化Jul 2026

《姐姐当家2》徐梦桃治愈式回家，冉莹颖邹市明双向告白

jiě jiě dāng jiā 2 xú mèng táo zhì yù shì huí jiā , rǎn yíng yǐng zōu shì míng shuāng xiàng gào bái

"Big Sister in Charge 2": Xu Mengtao's Heartwarming Return Home; Ran Yingying and Zou Shiming Exchange Confessions of Love

中国新闻网·体育Jul 2026

老将的谢幕也常伴随着新星的冉冉升起。

lǎo jiāng de xiè mù yě cháng bàn suí zhe xīn xīng de rǎn rǎn shēng qǐ .

A veteran's farewell is often accompanied by the rise of a new star.

Character Family

冂 Radical Family — Characters sharing the wide radical

再zài 内nèi 冒mào 册cè 冕miǎn 冈gāng

Related Characters

再zài 冒mào 内nèi 册cè 冈gāng 冕miǎn

Frequently Asked Questions

What does 冉 (rǎn) mean in Chinese?

冉 (rǎn) primarily means "edge of a tortoiseshell." It is not part of the HSK 3.0 syllabus. It ranks #3764 in character frequency.

How many strokes does 冉 have?

冉 is written with 5 strokes. The correct stroke order matters for recognition and handwriting speed — practice with the animated guide above to build proper technique.

What is the radical of 冉?

The radical associated with 冉 is 冂 (wide). This radical appears in many characters related to wide.

What are the components of 冉?

冉 is composed of: 冂 (structural), 土 (structural). Its IDS decomposition is ⿻冂土 with a overlay layout. Understanding the components helps with both memorization and recognizing related characters.

What are common words containing 冉?

Common words with 冉 include: 冉冉 (rǎn rǎn, "gradually"); 冉冉上升 (rǎn rǎn shàng shēng, "to ascend slowly"). There are over 2 compound words containing this character.

Is 冉 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?

No. The simplified form is 冉 and the traditional form is 冄.

Practice writing 冉 with real-time feedback

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