沉 chén — submerge; immerse; sink; deep; profound; to lower
石头一下子沉到了水底。Shí tou yí xià zi chén dào le shuǐ dǐ.The stone sank to the bottom of the water at once.
Common words: 沉默 (chén mò)、沉重 (chén zhòng)、沉思 (chén sī)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "sink"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "sink", including 沉 (chén), 沈 (shěn / chén). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "sink" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 沉 (chén), 沈 (shěn / chén) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span chén, shěn — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 沉 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 沉 chénsubmerge; immerse; sink; deep; profound; to lowerUseful words: 沉默, 沉重
- 沈 shěn / chénsink; (surname); place nameUseful words: 沈北, 沈约
Common words for these 2 "sink" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 沉 (chén) — so "sink" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
沉默chén mòtaciturn; uncommunicative; silent沉重chén zhòngheavy; hard; serious; critical沉思chén sīto contemplate; to ponder; contemplation; meditation沈北shěn běisee 沈北新区沈约shěn yuēShen Yue (441-513), writer and historian during Liang of Southern dynasties 南朝梁, compiler of History of Song of the Southern dynasties 宋书沈复shěn fùShen Fu (1763-c. 1810), Qing dynasty writer, author of Six Records of a Floating Life 浮生六记
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 2 ways to say "sink".
沈 shěn / chén — sink; (surname); place name
沈老师教我们写作文。Shěn lǎo shī jiāo wǒ men xiě zuò wén.Teacher Shen teaches us to write essays.
Common words: 沈北 (shěn běi)、沈约 (shěn yuē)、沈复 (shěn fù)
All 2 characters
Open 沉、沈 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.