See How Fast You Can Learn Chinese

Try our interactive spaced repetition demo—study your first words in 60 seconds

Interactive demo Takes 60 seconds No sign-up needed

jiǎn

Sign in to save this word to your study lists.

Definitions

  1. 1. simple
  2. 2. uncomplicated
  3. 3. letter
  4. 4. to choose
  5. 5. to select

Example Sentences

1 shown
5加10很 单。
Source: Tatoeba.org (ID 8714992)

Sentence data courtesy of Tatoeba.org.

Words Containing 简

简略见告
jiǎn lüe4 jiàn gào

brief outline or overview (of a plan etc)

简略
jiǎn lüe4

simple

简氏防务周刊
jiǎn shì fáng wù zhōu kān

Jane's defense weekly

简单化
jiǎn dān huà

simplification

第二次汉字简化方案
dì èr cì hàn zì jiǎn huà fāng àn

Second Chinese Character Simplification Scheme (second round of simplified Chinese characters, proposed in 1977 and retracted in 1986)

简缩
jiǎn suō

short form

简·爱
jiǎn · ài

Jane Eyre, novel by Charlotte Brontë 夏洛特·勃良特[xià luò tè · bó liáng tè]

简易
jiǎn yì

simple and easy

简写
jiǎn xiě

to write characters in simplified form

简史
jiǎn shǐ

a brief history

时间简史
shí jiān jiǎn shǐ

\A Brief History of Time\ by Stephen Hawking

简要
jiǎn yào

concise

简言之
jiǎn yán zhī

in simple terms

简单
jiǎn dān

simple

简而言之
jiǎn ér yán zhī

in a nutshell

简牍
jiǎn dú

bamboo and wooden slips (used for writing on in ancient times)

简易爆炸装置
jiǎn yì bào zhà zhuāng zhì

improvised explosive device (IED)

精简
jīng jiǎn

to simplify

简谐波
jiǎn xié bō

simple harmonic wave

简括
jiǎn kuò

brief but comprehensive

简谱
jiǎn pǔ

music notation in which the notes Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La and Si are represented by numerals 1 to 7

简便
jiǎn biàn

simple and convenient

简阳市
jiǎn yáng shì

Jianyang, county-level city in Ziyang 資陽|资阳[zī yáng], Sichuan

简拼
jiǎn pīn

(computing) input method where the user types just the initial or first letter of each syllable, e.g. \shq\ or \sq\ for 事情[shì qing])

简单网络管理协议
jiǎn dān wǎng luò guǎn lǐ xié yì

Simple Network Management Protocol

简单地说
jiǎn dān de shuō

to put it simply; simply put

删简压缩
shān jiǎn yā suō

to simplify and condense (a text)

简阳
jiǎn yáng

Jianyang, county-level city in Ziyang 資陽|资阳[zī yáng], Sichuan

苏易简
sū yì jiǎn

Su Yijian (958-997), Northern Song writer and poet

简练
jiǎn liàn

terse

简短
jiǎn duǎn

brief (statement, summary etc)

生平简介
shēng píng jiǎn jiè

biographic sketch

简章
jiǎn zhāng

concise list of rules

简明扼要
jiǎn míng è yào

brief and to the point (idiom)

简谐振动
jiǎn xié zhèn dòng

simple harmonic oscillation

竹简
zhú jiǎn

bamboo slips (used for writing on in ancient times)

过份简单化
guò fèn jiǎn dān huà

oversimplification

简短介绍
jiǎn duǎn jiè shào

brief introduction

简谐
jiǎn xié

simple harmonic (motion, oscillation etc in mechanics)

简慢
jiǎn màn

negligent (towards guests)

因陋就简
yīn lòu jiù jiǎn

crude but simple methods (idiom); use whatever methods you can

简朴
jiǎn pǔ

simple and unadorned

简装
jiǎn zhuāng

paperback

简要介绍
jiǎn yào jiè shào

brief introduction

简本
jiǎn běn

concise edition

简易棚
jiǎn yì péng

makeshift shelter

书简
shū jiǎn

(literary) letter

简陋
jiǎn lòu

simple and crude

简报
jiǎn bào

presentation

简省
jiǎn shěng

to simplify

简帖
jiǎn tiě

a letter

简体
jiǎn tǐ

simplified form of Chinese characters, as opposed to traditional form 繁體|繁体[fán tǐ]

简化字
jiǎn huà zì

simplified Chinese character

短简
duǎn jiǎn

brief

白简
bái jiǎn

Wrigley's Spearmint (brand)

轻车简从
qīng chē jiǎn cóng

(of an official) to travel with little luggage and just a small escort

简表
jiǎn biǎo

table (displaying data in rows and columns)

简述
jiǎn shù

to outline

繁简
fán jiǎn

complicated and simple

航空邮简
háng kōng yóu jiǎn

aerogram

简约
jiǎn yuē

sketchy

黄简
huáng jiǎn

Wrigley's Juicy Fruit (brand)

精简开支
jīng jiǎn kāi zhī

to reduce spending

言简意赅
yán jiǎn yì gāi

concise and comprehensive (idiom)

简历
jiǎn lì

curriculum vitae (CV)

简体字
jiǎn tǐ zì

simplified Chinese character, as opposed to traditional Chinese character 繁體字|繁体字[fán tǐ zì]

简直
jiǎn zhí

simply; really

简化
jiǎn huà

to simplify

简讯
jiǎn xùn

newsletter

不简单
bù jiǎn dān

not simple; rather complicated

简繁转换
jiǎn fán zhuǎn huàn

conversion from simple to traditional Chinese characters

简编
jiǎn biān

concise edition

白行简
bái xíng jiǎn

Bai Xingjian (c. 776-826), younger brother of Bai Juyi 白居易[bái jū yì], Tang novelist and poet, author of novel Tale of Courtesan Li Wa 李娃傳|李娃传[lǐ wá zhuàn]

头脑简单四肢发达
tóu nǎo jiǎn dān sì zhī fā dá

all brawn no brains

简单明了
jiǎn dān míng liǎo

clear and simple

简则
jiǎn zé

general rule

简册
jiǎn cè

booklet; brochure

简明
jiǎn míng

simple and clear

极简主义
jí jiǎn zhǔ yì

minimalism

简介
jiǎn jiè

summary

简繁
jiǎn fán

simple versus traditional (Chinese characters)

汉简
hàn jiǎn

bamboo slip used for record keeping during the Han Dynasty

简洁
jiǎn jié

concise

简谐运动
jiǎn xié yùn dòng

simple harmonic motion (in mechanics)

邮简
yóu jiǎn

letter sheet (similar to an aerogram but not necessarily sent by airmail)