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犬

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(literary) dog; Kangxi radical 94

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Old HSK
Level 6
Strokes
4
Radical
犬 itself
Structure
Overlaid 叠加
Traditional
犬
Common rank
#976
Unicode
U+72AC

Sound it out + + =

Formation & memory

Break the character into parts you already know.

How 犬 is formed

Pictograph (象形字)

A dog turned to the side

Components 大 丶

How to remember it

pooch · Heisig RSH #239

大 large + St. Bernard dog + a drop of — as a component also called: chihuahua, pack of wild dogs

Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.

Words with 犬

The most common words first — learning a character in context makes it stick.

WordPinyinMeaning
一人得道，鸡犬升天 yī rén dé dào , jī quǎn shēng tiān (lit.) when a person attains enlightenment and immortality, even his chickens and dogs wil…
声色犬马 shēng sè quǎn mǎ (lit.) music, women, dogs and horses (traditional aristocratic amusements, with dogs and h…
犬马之劳 quǎn mǎ zhī láo lit. the service of a dog or a horse (idiom); fig. faithful service
工作犬 gōng zuò quǎn working dog
鸡犬不宁 jī quǎn bù níng lit. not even the chickens and dogs are left undisturbed (idiom); fig. great commotion; pa…
画虎不成反类犬 huà hǔ bù chéng fǎn lèi quǎn to try to draw a tiger but end up with a likeness of a dog (idiom); to try to do sth overa…
上犬式 shàng quǎn shì upward-facing dog (yoga pose)
四国犬 sì guó quǎn Shikoku (dog)
下犬式 xià quǎn shì downward-facing dog (yoga pose)
比特犬 bǐ tè quǎn pit bull (loanword)
金毛犬 jīn máo quǎn golden retriever (dog breed)
牛头犬 niú tóu quǎn bulldog
大犬座 Dà quǎn zuò Canis Major (constellation)
罗威纳犬 luó wēi nà quǎn Rottweiler (dog breed)
鸡犬不留 jī quǎn bù liú (lit.) not even chickens and dogs are spared (idiom); (fig.) mass slaughter
小犬座 Xiǎo quǎn zuò Canis Minor (constellation)
虎父无犬子 hǔ fù wú quǎn zǐ lit. father a lion, son cannot be a dog (honorific); With a distinguished father such as y…
效犬马之劳 xiào quǎn mǎ zhī láo to render one's humble services; to be at sb's beck and call
犬子 quǎn zǐ (literary) (humble) my son
马犬 mǎ quǎn Belgian Malinois (dog breed) (abbr. for 馬里努阿犬|马里努阿犬[Ma3 li3 nu3 a1 quan3])

Sound family

These characters use 犬 as their sound component — compare how they read.

CharacterPinyinMeaning
犬 sound part quǎn dog
厌 yàn to dislike, to detest; to reject; to satiate
厣 yǎn shell
畎 quǎn a drain between fields, irrigation; to flow