穿
to wear; put on
HSK level
- Pinyin
- chuān
- Part of speech
- verb
- Level
- HSK 2
- Strokes
- 9
- Register
- neutral
Stroke order for 穿
穿 is written with 9 strokes. The animation replays automatically.
What does 穿 mean?
穿 (chuān) means 'to wear / put on' — but only for items that go ON your body or AROUND your limbs: clothing, shoes, socks, gloves, pants.
穿衣服 ('wear clothes'), 穿鞋 ('wear shoes'), 穿裤子 ('wear pants'). The crucial restriction English speakers miss: hats, watches, glasses, scarves, jewelry, and accessories use 戴 (dài) instead. 戴帽子 ('wear a hat'), 戴眼镜 ('wear glasses') — never 穿帽子.
Rule of thumb: if it slips through a sleeve or leg, use 穿; if it sits on your head, face, wrist, neck, or fingers, use 戴. 穿 also means 'to put on' as the action and 'to wear' as the state — Chinese doesn't distinguish: 我穿了一件红色的衣服 can mean 'I put on a red shirt' or 'I'm wearing a red shirt' depending on context, often clarified by 着 (穿着, ongoing state) vs 了 (穿了, completed action). A second meaning of 穿 is 'to pierce / pass through': 穿过马路 ('cross the street'), but the clothing sense is the HSK 2 vocabulary.
Example sentences
今天很冷，多穿点衣服。
Jīntiān hěn lěng, duō chuān diǎn yīfu.
It's cold today — wear more clothes.
spoken
她穿了一件红色的裙子。
Tā chuān le yí jiàn hóngsè de qúnzi.
She's wearing a red dress.
neutral
进屋请穿拖鞋。
Jìn wū qǐng chuān tuōxié.
Please put on slippers when entering the room.
neutral
我不知道今天穿什么。
Wǒ bù zhīdào jīntiān chuān shénme.
I don't know what to wear today.
spoken
他穿着一双新鞋。
Tā chuān zhe yì shuāng xīn xié.
He's wearing a new pair of shoes.
neutral
Common phrases with 穿
Synonyms
Don't confuse 穿 with
戴 is for hats / glasses / watches / jewelry — items that don't 'thread through.' 穿 is for clothes and shoes. Saying 穿帽子 instead of 戴帽子 is a classic learner mistake.
脱 is the opposite — 'to take off' clothes or shoes. 脱衣服 ('take off clothes'), 脱鞋 ('take off shoes'). Memorize as the 穿/脱 pair.
传 (chuán) means 'to pass / transmit' (传球 'pass the ball'). Sounds nearly identical to 穿 (chuān) — same syllable, same first tone — but different character and meaning. By ear, learners often mix them up.
FAQ
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