善 shàn — good, kind · English

善

shàn

good, kind

At a glance · 善

Listen

Audio is synthesized in your browser: Mandarin for the character and Shuowen text, native voices for every translation. No downloads.

Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

善字小篆从羊从誩，会意为吉言、善良；本义为善良、美好。甲骨文未见。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

善本义为善良、美好，与恶相对。

Structure

会意字，从羊（祥）从誩（言），表示吉言祥善。

At a glance

Pinyinshàn

Radical口

Strokes12

UnicodeU+5584

Character type会意

Theme德行

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English good, kind Shan is an associative character meaning good and kind.

Français bon, gentil Shan est un caractère associatif signifiant bon et gentil.

Español bueno, amable Shan es un carácter asociativo que significa bueno y amable.

العربية خير، طيب شان حرف تركيبي يعني الخير والطيب.

Русский добрый, хороший Шань — ассоциативный знак, означающий добрый и хороший.

Common words

善良shàn liángkind
善于shàn yúgood at

◉ Listen