柬

Mandarin · pinyin jiǎn#

Meanings · jiǎn

  1. card
  2. note
  3. letter
  4. old variant of 揀 jiǎn
Mandarin · pinyin Jiǎn#

Meanings · Jiǎn

  1. abbr. for 柬埔寨 Jiǎn pǔ zhài, Cambodia
Full entryShow on map

Characters in this entry

柬
jiǎn · letter, invitation; choose
Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

Explore the spelling

Mandarin tones

3 · jian3

Compare attested words with these syllables ↗

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

1character link55same-tone records1source reference
Explore word families ↗Compare pronunciations ↗Open character structure ↗
Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.

Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

柬 · find source passages ↗

Explore Classical grammar ↗

Compare dictionary sources Rime · Wiktionary

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

gaan2

Cantonese word readings for 柬. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

character · Etymology 1

  1. (obsolete) alternative form of 揀 /拣 (jiǎn, “to pick; to select”)
  2. (obsolete) alternative form of 簡 /简 (jiǎn)
  3. letter; note; invitation
  4. (abbreviation, alt-of) short for 柬埔寨 (Jiǎnpǔzhài, “Cambodia”)

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack

柬 · jian3 · Jian3
CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG · edition 2026-10-13 · source lines 57,140, 57,139
Original dictionary · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source & transformation details
Exact source records柬 柬 [jian3] /card/note/letter/old variant of 揀|拣[jian3]/柬 柬 [Jian3] /abbr. for 柬埔寨[Jian3 pu3 zhai4], Cambodia/