弄 nòng / lòng — lane; alley; to do; to manage; to handle; to play with
别把房间弄乱了。Bié bǎ fáng jiān nòng luàn le.Do not make a mess of the room.
Common words: 玩弄 (wán nòng)、卖弄 (mài nong)、嘲弄 (cháo nòng)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "alley"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "alley", including 弄 (nòng / lòng), 巷 (xiàng). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "alley" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 弄 (nòng / lòng), 巷 (xiàng) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span nòng, lòng, xiàng — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 弄 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 弄 nòng / lònglane; alley; to do; to manage; to handle; to play withUseful words: 玩弄, 卖弄
- 巷 xiànglane; alleyUseful words: 大街小巷, 巷子
Common words for these 2 "alley" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 弄 (nòng / lòng) — so "alley" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 2 ways to say "alley".
巷 xiàng — lane; alley
这条小巷弯弯曲曲，通向城市深处。Zhè tiáo xiǎo xiàng wān wān qū qū, tōng xiàng chéng shì shēn chù.This alley winds deep into the city.
Common words: 大街小巷 (dà jiē xiǎo xiàng)、巷子 (xiàng zi)、里巷 (lǐ xiàng)
All 2 characters
Open 弄、巷 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.