砍

Tap the pinyin to hear it

to chop; to cut down; to throw sth at sb

Sound it out + =

Formation & memory

Break the character into parts you already know.

Phono-semantic compound (形声字)

石 meaning “stone” + 欠 sound ( qiàn )

Components 石欠

chop · Heisig RSH #1716

石 stone + yawn

Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.

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

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
砍头不过风吹帽	kǎn tóu bù guò fēng chuī mào	to regard decapitation as no more important than the wind blowing off your hat (idiom)
磨刀不误砍柴工	mó dāo bù wù kǎn chái gōng	lit. sharpening the axe won't make the wood-splitting take longer (idiom); fig. time inves…
砍大山	kǎn dà shān	variant of 侃大山[kan3 da4 shan1]
砍头	kǎn tóu	to decapitate; to behead
砍死	kǎn sǐ	to hack to death; to kill with an ax
砍树	kǎn shù	to chop wood; to chop down trees
砍刀	kǎn dāo	machete
砍断	kǎn duàn	to chop off
砍价	kǎn jià	to bargain; to cut or beat down a price
砍杀	kǎn shā	to attack with a bladed weapon
砍伤	kǎn shāng	to wound with a blade or hatchet; to slash; to gash
滥砍滥伐	làn kǎn làn fá	wanton destruction of forested lands
砍伐	kǎn fá	to hew; to cut down

Characters sharing the sound component 欠 — compare how they read.

Character	Pinyin	Meaning
欠 sound part	qiàn	to lack, to owe; to breathe, to yawn
软	ruǎn	soft, pliable, flexible; weak
吹	chuī	to blow, to puff; to brag, to boast
饮	yǐn	to swallow, to drink; a kind of drink
坎	kǎn	pit, hole; to trap, to snare; crisis
钦	qīn	to respect, to admire; royal
炊	chuī	meal; to cook, to steam
嵌	qiàn	valley, ravine; to fall into; to inlay, to set in
芡	qiàn	Gorgon plant, fox nut
欿	kǎn	sad, gloomy, discontent
肷	qiǎn	the area between the waist and hips