文 wén — language; culture; writing; formal; literary
这篇文章写得很好。Zhè piān wén zhāng xiě de hěn hǎo.This article is well written.
Common words: 课文 (kè wén)、作文 (zuò wén)、文件 (wén jiàn)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "formal"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "formal", including 文 (wén), 您 (nín). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words, and examples.
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "formal" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 文 (wén), 您 (nín) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span wén, nín — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 文 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 文 wénlanguage; culture; writing; formal; literaryUseful words: 课文, 作文
- 您 nínyou (formal)Useful words: 您好, 请您
Common words for these 2 "formal" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 文 (wén) — so "formal" 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 "formal".
您 nín — you (formal)
老师，您好！Lǎo shī, nín hǎo!Hello, teacher!
Common words: 您好 (nín hǎo)、请您 (qǐng nín)、您看 (nín kàn)
All 2 characters
Open 文、您 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.