whole, entire, complete

JLPT N1 6 strokes

Words with this Kanji

Usage of

The character (quán) means "whole," "entire," or "complete." It is commonly used to emphasize that something includes all parts or is done fully.

Common contexts

often appears before nouns to indicate the entirety of a group or object, such as (the whole class) or 全身 (the whole body). It can also modify verbs to express completeness, like (finish reading completely).

Collocations and patterns

  • + noun: emphasizes the entirety of the noun (e.g., , the whole family).
  • + verb + : indicates the action is completed fully (e.g., , ate it all).

Nuances

Using stresses completeness and totality, which is stronger than partial or some. It differs from similar words like "全部" which can be more formal or used as a noun meaning "all" or "everything." is more flexible as an adjective or adverb.

Common confusion

Don't confuse with (wán), which means "to finish" or "complete" but is more about the state of completion rather than entirety. For example, means the whole class, while 完成 means to complete a task.

Example Sentences

He collected the homework from the entire class.

I have already finished reading the whole book.

He was soaked all over because it rained.