染
dye, stain
At a glance · 染
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 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.
染字小篆从水从木从九，会意为以草木汁浸染，本义为染色。甲骨文未见。
What the sketch shows
Origins & notes
染本义为染色、沾染。
Structure
会意字，从水从木（染料）从九（多次），表示反复染。
At a glance
Pinyinrǎn
Radical木
Strokes9
UnicodeU+67D3
Character type会意
Theme动作
Six languages, one character
Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.
English
dye, stain
Ran is an associative character of water, wood and nine, meaning to dye and stain.
Français
teindre, tacher
Ran est un caractère associatif d'eau, bois et neuf, signifiant teindre et tacher.
Español
teñir, manchar
Ran es un carácter asociativo de agua, madera y nueve, significa teñir y manchar.
العربية
يصبغ، يلطخ
ران حرف تركيبي لماء وخشب وتسعة، يعني الصبغ والتلطيخ.
Русский
красить, окрашивать
Жань — ассоциативный знак воды, дерева и девяти, означает красить и пачкать.
Common words
- 染色rǎn sèdye
- 污染wū rǎnpollute