减 (jiǎn) — HSK 4 Recognition Character: Meaning, Radical & Stroke Order

jiǎn to decrease, to subtract, to diminish 11 strokes · Radical 冫 (ice) · HSK 4 recognition character (认读字)

👁 Recognition only: the official HSK 4 syllabus asks you to recognize 减 when reading — handwriting it is not required (that applies to the 150 writing characters). The stroke animation below is optional but helps memory.

Pronunciation & meaning

Pronounced jiǎn.

to decrease
to subtract
to diminish

Stroke Order & Practice

Click Animate to see the correct stroke order, then Practice to trace it yourself.

减 — 11 strokes, numbered in writing order. 笔顺图（数字为下笔顺序）。

Decomposition

减 breaks down into 2 components arranged as Left + Right. Recognizing the components makes the character easier to remember and write.

减 =

冫 left ice

咸 right all

Radical

The radical of 减 is 冫 — meaning ice. Radicals are the indexing components used in Chinese dictionaries; they often hint at a character's broad meaning category.

Other HSK 4 characters that share this radical: 况.

How the character is built

减 is a phono-semantic compound. The semantic component 冫 (ice) carries the meaning, while the phonetic component 咸 originally indicated the sound.

HSK 4 Words Containing 减

减 jiǎn to reduce; to subtract

你应该减少吃甜食。

Nǐ yīnggāi jiǎnshǎo chī tiánshí.

You should eat less sweets.

减轻 jiǎnqīng to lighten; to reduce (burden)

运动可以减轻压力。

Yùndòng kěyǐ jiǎnqīng yālì.

Exercise can reduce stress.

减少 jiǎnshǎo to reduce; to decrease

城市应该减少污染。

Chéngshì yīnggāi jiǎnshǎo wūrǎn.

Cities should reduce pollution.

Seen in the Real Exams / 真题例句

减 appears in 55 questions across the 19 mock & official HSK 4 exams on this site. Real exam sentences using it:

妻子减肥很成功。

From Mock Exam 06 →

幽默能减轻压力。

From Mock Exam 09 →

手机减少了人们面对面的交流。

From Mock Exam 11 →

Tasks Featuring 减 / 相关任务

Words containing 减 appear in these official HSK 4 task scenarios — study the character in context:

📚 谈论经济现象

Economic Phenomena · 减少

FAQ

What does 减 mean in Chinese?

减 (jiǎn) means to decrease, to subtract, to diminish. It is one of the 441 characters HSK 4 requires you to recognize when reading (认读字).

How many strokes does 减 have?

减 is written in 11 strokes. Use the practice tool above to see the correct stroke order and trace it yourself.

What is the radical of 减?

The radical of 减 is 冫 (ice). Other HSK 4 characters with the same radical include 况.

What is the pinyin for 减?

减 is pronounced jiǎn.

What HSK 4 words use 减?

In our HSK 4 vocabulary, 减 appears in 3 words, including 减 (jiǎn), 减轻 (jiǎnqīng), 减少 (jiǎnshǎo). See the full list above.