Dictionary › 剪

剪

jiǎn

HSK 5 Character

What 剪 means

1. bound formscissors or similar tool
2. to cut as with scissors
3. bound formto wipe out; to exterminate
4. to edit (video, audio etc)

Other readings

剪 is 多音字 — it is read more than one way, and the reading changes the meaning.

• Jiǎnsurname Jian

Example sentences

• 你该剪头发了。
  You should get your hair cut.
• 用剪刀剪图片。
  Use scissors to cut out the pictures.
• 汤姆剪了什么？
  What did Tom cut?
• 她借了我的剪刀。
  Tā jiè le wǒ de jiǎndāo.
  She borrowed my scissors.
• 这把剪刀不好用。
  Zhè bǎ jiǎndāo bù hǎo yòng.
  These scissors don't cut well.
• 我要去剪头发了。
  Wǒ yào qù jiǎntóufa le.
  I want to go and get a haircut.

Words starting with 剪

• 剪刀jiǎn dāoscissors
• 剪彩jiǎn cǎito cut the ribbon (at a launching or opening ceremony)
• 剪辑jiǎn jíto edit (raw footage: film, video, audio etc); edited version
• 剪纸jiǎn zhǐpapercutting (Chinese folk art); to make paper cutouts
• 剪掉jiǎn diàoto cut off; to cut away; to trim
• 剪影jiǎn yǐngpaper-cut silhouette; outline; sketch
• 剪子jiǎn ziclippers; scissors; shears
• 剪裁jiǎn cáito tailor (clothes); to trim (expenditure)
• 剪接jiǎn jiēto edit (raw footage: film, video, audio etc); (genetics) to splice
• 剪报jiǎn bàonewspaper cutting; clippings
• 剪断jiǎn duànto cut; to snip
• 剪成jiǎn chéngcut into
• 剪切jiǎn qiēto cut (with scissors or similar tool); to shear; (geology) shear…
• 剪力jiǎn lìshear; shearing force
• 剪径jiǎn jìngto waylay and rob; highway robbery
• 剪映Jiǎn yìngCapCut, a short-form video editing app developed by ByteDance 字节跳动
• 剪片jiǎn piànto edit a film or video
• 剪除jiǎn chúto eradicate; to exterminate
• 剪头jiǎn tóuto get a haircut; to give sb a haircut
• 剪刀差jiǎn dāo chā(economics) price scissors
• 剪刀手jiǎn dāo shǒuV sign (hand gesture)
• 剪切力jiǎn qiē lìshear; shearing force
• 剪切板jiǎn qiē bǎn(computing) clipboard
• 剪应力jiǎn yìng lìshear stress

Words containing 剪

• 修剪xiū jiǎnto prune; to trim
• 裁剪cái jiǎnto cut out
• 删剪shān jiǎnto cut (from a movie etc); to censor
• 反剪fǎn jiǎnwith hands behind one's back; trussed
• 粗剪cū jiǎn(cinema) rough cut
• 指甲剪zhǐ jia jiǎnnail clipper
• 洗剪吹xǐ jiǎn chuīshampoo, haircut and blow-dry
• 打薄剪刀dǎ báo jiǎn dāothinning scissors
• 疏剪shū jiǎnto prune
• 包剪锤bāo jiǎn chuírock-paper-scissors (game)
• 双瞳剪水shuāng tóng jiǎn shuǐ(idiom) clear, bright eyes
• 石头、剪子、布shí tou , jiǎn zi , bùrock-paper-scissors (hand game)

Characters built on 前

These share the phonetic component 前 (qián), which is why their readings rhyme. Learning them as a family is far cheaper than learning them one at a time.

• 箭jiànarrow
• 煎jiānto pan fry; to sauté
• 翦Jiǎnsurname Jian
• 湔jiānto wash; to redress (a wrong); name of a river

Characters that look like 剪

Easy to confuse on sight. Compare them side by side once and the pair stops costing you.

• 第dì(prefix indicating ordinal number, as in 第六…
• 筒tǒngtube; cylinder; to encase in sth cylindrical (such as hands in sleeves etc)
• 雳lìused in 霹雳
• 筐kuāngbasket
• 莺yīngoriole or various birds of the Sylvidae family including warblers
• 笏hù(old) ceremonial tablet (held by officials at an audience)

Sounds the same

Read jiǎn, tone for tone, but written differently.

• 检to check; to examine; to inspect
• 简simple; uncomplicated; letter
• 减to lower; to decrease; to reduce
• 捡to pick up; to collect; to gather
• 柬card; note; letter
• 俭(bound form) frugal; thrifty
• 拣to choose; to pick; to sort out
• 蹇lame; cripple; unfortunate
• 茧(bound form) cocoon; (bound form) callus (variant of 趼
• 碱(chemistry) base; alkali; soda
• 睑eyelid
• 謇to speak out boldly