Chinese symbol for “gradual”
渐
jiàn
Traditional: 漸
gradual; gradually
The closest CC-CEDICT match for gradual is 渐 (jiàn), defined as: gradual; gradually.
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Characters and stroke order
Traditional forms
Other Chinese words for “gradual”
Related words
Other words that share a character with 渐.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 逐渐 (逐漸) | zhú jiàn | gradually |
| 渐渐 (漸漸) | jiàn jiàn | gradually |
| 日渐 (日漸) | rì jiàn | to progress (or increase, change etc) day by day; more (or better etc) with each passing day |
| 渐进 (漸進) | jiàn jìn | progress step by step; gradual progress |
| 循序渐进 (循序漸進) | xún xù jiàn jìn | in sequence, step by step (idiom); to make steady progress incrementally |
| 渐变 (漸變) | jiàn biàn | gradual change; (graphic design) gradient |
See also: Japanese symbol for “gradual”.
Data: CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0); Unihan Database (Unicode License v3); Make Me a Hanzi (Arphic Public License (graphics.txt); LGPL-3.0-or-later (dictionary.txt)); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.