笔 bǐ — pen; pencil; writing brush; to write or compose; the strokes of Chinese characters
请用钢笔写下你的名字。Qǐng yòng gāng bǐ xiě xià nǐ de míng zi.Please write your name with a pen.
Common words: 笔记本 (bǐ jì běn)、笔记 (bǐ jì)、铅笔 (qiān bǐ)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "pen"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "pen", including 笔 (bǐ), 圈 (quān / juān / juàn), 翰 (hàn). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "pen" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 笔 (bǐ), 圈 (quān / juān / juàn), 翰 (hàn) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span bǐ, quān, juān, juàn, hàn — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 笔 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 笔 bǐpen; pencil; writing brush; to write or compose; the strokes of Chinese charactersUseful words: 笔记本, 笔记
- 圈 quān / juān / juànto confine; enclose; pen (pig); a fold; circle; ringUseful words: 圈套, 圈子
- 翰 hànpenUseful words: 挥翰, 词翰
Common words for these 3 "pen" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 笔 (bǐ) — so "pen" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
笔记本bǐ jì běnnotebook (stationery) (; (computing) laptop; notebook笔记bǐ jìto take down (in writing); notes; a type of literature consisting mainly of short sketches铅笔qiān bǐ(lead) pencil圈套quān tàotrap; snare; trick圈子quān zicircle; ring; (social) circle演艺圈yǎn yì quānshow business挥翰huī hàn(literary) to wield a writing brush词翰cí hànbook; written composition; (literary) penned words杨百翰yáng bǎi hànBrigham Young
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 3 ways to say "pen".
圈 quān / juān / juàn — to confine; enclose; pen (pig); a fold; circle; ring
大家围成一个圈，做起了游戏。Dà jiā wéi chéng yí ge quān, zuò qǐ le yóu xì.Everyone formed a circle and started playing games.
Common words: 圈套 (quān tào)、圈子 (quān zi)、演艺圈 (yǎn yì quān)
翰 hàn — pen
约翰是我的一位外国朋友。Yuē hàn shì wǒ de yí wèi wài guó péng you.John is a foreign friend of mine.
Common words: 挥翰 (huī hàn)、词翰 (cí hàn)、杨百翰 (yáng bǎi hàn)
All 3 characters
Open 笔、圈、翰 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.