软

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soft; flexible

Sound it out + + =

Formation & memory

Break the character into parts you already know.

Phono-semantic compound (形声字)

车 meaning “cart” + 欠 sound ( qiàn )

Components 车欠

soft · Heisig RSH #477

车 car + 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
软体动物	ruǎn tǐ dòng wù	mollusk
小儿软骨病	xiǎo ér ruǎn gǔ bìng	(medicine) rickets
教学软体	jiào xué ruǎn tǐ	(Tw) educational software; courseware
应用软体	yìng yòng ruǎn tǐ	(Tw) application software
软体业	ruǎn tǐ yè	the software industry
吃人家的嘴软，拿人家的手短	chī rén jiā de zuǐ ruǎn , ná rén jiā de shǒu duǎn	lit. the mouth that has been fed by others is soft, the hand that has received doesn't rea…
软骨头	ruǎn gǔ tou	weak, cowardly person; spineless individual
软实力	ruǎn shí lì	soft power (in international relations)
自由软件基金会	Zì yóu Ruǎn jiàn Jī jīn huì	Free Software Foundation
软水	ruǎn shuǐ	soft water (cf. 硬水[ying4 shui3], hard water)
软件开发	ruǎn jiàn kāi fā	software development
心软	xīn ruǎn	to be softhearted; to be tenderhearted; to be kindhearted
软化	ruǎn huà	to soften
软骨病	ruǎn gǔ bìng	chondropathy (medicine)
手软	shǒu ruǎn	to be lenient; to relent; to be reluctant to make a hard decision; to think twice
软体	ruǎn tǐ	(of an animal) soft-bodied; (Tw) software
软件平台	ruǎn jiàn píng tái	software platform
发软	fā ruǎn	to weaken; to go soft (at the knees)
耳根子软	ěr gēn zi ruǎn	credulous
软文	ruǎn wén	advertorial

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
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
砍	kǎn	to hack, to chop, to cut, to fell
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