Meaning
correct; right; so; thus; like this; -ly
Chinese: 这样、如此，也常见于连接词。
Hear the Four Tones
The same syllable “ran” becomes a different word in each tone. 然 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
- 然后rán hòuthen; after that; afterwards
- 虽然suī ránalthough; even though
- 忽然hū ránsuddenly; all of a sudden
- 大自然dà zì ránnature (the natural world)
- 当然dāng ránonly natural; as it should be; certainly; of course
Example Sentence
我们先吃饭，然后去看电影。Wǒ men xiān chī fàn, rán hòu qù kàn diàn yǐng.We will eat first, then go to see a movie.
我们Wǒ menwe先xiānbeforehand吃饭chī fànto have a meal，然后rán hòuthen去qùto go看kànto look after电影diàn yǐngmovie。
Go deeper
Where this character comes from
The fire dots 灬 under 肰 (dog-meat): originally ‘to burn’ (the sense now written 燃). Borrowed for ‘so, thus, like that; correct; -ly’ (自然, 然后).
A way to remember it
Once ‘to burn’ (now 燃); borrowed for ‘so, thus’.
Easy to confuse with
- 燃‘To burn’: 然 with the fire radical 火 added back.