潜
hide, dive
At a glance · 潜
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.
潜字小篆从水朁声，为形声字；本义为没入水中、隐藏。甲骨文未见。
What the sketch shows
Origins & notes
潜本义为潜藏、隐没于水。
Structure
形声字，左部『水』为意符，右部『朁』为声符。
At a glance
Pinyinqián
Radical氵
Strokes15
UnicodeU+6F5C
Character type形声
Theme动作
Six languages, one character
Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.
English
hide, dive
Qian is a phonetic-semantic character meaning to hide and dive underwater.
Français
cacher, plonger
Qian est un caractère phonético-sémantique signifiant cacher et plonger sous l'eau.
Español
esconder, bucear
Qian es un carácter fonosemántico que significa esconder y bucear.
العربية
يخفي، يغوص
تشيان حرف صوتي دلالي يعني الإخفاء والغطس تحت الماء.
Русский
прятаться, нырять
Цянь — фоносемантический знак, означающий прятаться и нырять.
Common words
- 潜水qián shuǐdive
- 潜在qián zàilatent