---
title: "Canren Meaning: 残忍 (cánrěn) Means “cruel”"
description: "残忍 (traditional 殘忍, cánrěn) means “cruel; brutal”. Hear its tones, see what 残 and 忍 each mean and a real sentence that uses it."
canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/canren"
published: "2026-10-21"
updated: "2026-11-06"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

[What does it mean in Chinese?](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning)

# What does 残忍 mean?

猫头鹰māotóuyīngowl

残忍 cánrěn

## cruel; brutal

## Its characters

1. 残 cán cruel
2. 忍 rěn to bear

## In a sentence

这样对待小动物太残忍了。 Treating small animals like this is too cruel.

[More about 残忍](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E6%AE%8B%E5%BF%8D)

## More words with 残 or 忍

- [残疾 cánjí](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/canji)
- [残酷 cánkù](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/canku)
- [残留 cánliú](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/canliu)
- [忍受 rěnshòu](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/renshou)

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