Meaning
male
Chinese: 男性、男子。
Hear the Four Tones
The same syllable “nan” becomes a different word in each tone. 男 is the 2nd tone. Tap any tone to hear a native voice and see its pitch shape.
Stroke Order
Tap Animate to watch the strokes in order, or Practice to trace it yourself.
Common Words
- 男人nán réna man; a male; men
- 男生nán shēngschoolboy; male student; boy; guy (young adult male)
- 男朋友nán péng youboyfriend
- 男孩儿nán hái rerhua form of 男孩
- 男子nán zǐa man; a male
Example Sentence
那个男孩跑得很快。Nà ge nán hái pǎo de hěn kuài.That boy runs very fast.
那个Nà gethat one男孩nán háiboy跑pǎo(of an animal) to paw (the得很de hěn(after an adjective) very快kuàirapid。
Go deeper
Where this character comes from
A field (田) over strength (力, a plough): the one who labours in the fields. It means ‘man / male’.
A way to remember it
Strength working the field — a man.