男 nán — male
那个男孩跑得很快。Nà ge nán hái pǎo de hěn kuài.That boy runs very fast.
Common words: 男人 (nán rén)、男生 (nán shēng)、男朋友 (nán péng you)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "male"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "male", including 男 (nán), 雄 (xióng), 乾 (qián / gān). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "male" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 男 (nán), 雄 (xióng), 乾 (qián / gān) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span nán, xióng, qián, gān — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 男 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 男 nánmaleUseful words: 男人, 男生
- 雄 xióngheroic; maleUseful words: 英雄, 雄伟
- 乾 qián / gāndry; (surname); male; strong; one of the Eight TrigramsUseful words: 乾旦, 康乾盛世
Common words for these 3 "male" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 男 (nán) — so "male" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
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英雄yīng xiónghero雄伟xióng wěigrand; imposing; magnificent; majestic雄厚xióng hòusubstantial; robust; ample; abundant乾旦qián dànmale actor playing the female role (Chinese opera)康乾盛世kāng qián shèng shìbooming and golden age of Qing dynasty (from Kang Xi to Qian Long emperors)朝乾夕惕zhāo qián xī tìcautious and diligent all day long (idiom)
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 3 ways to say "male".
雄 xióng — heroic; male
长城是一座雄伟的建筑。Cháng chéng shì yí zuò xióng wěi de jiàn zhù.The Great Wall is a magnificent structure.
Common words: 英雄 (yīng xióng)、雄伟 (xióng wěi)、雄厚 (xióng hòu)
乾 qián / gān — dry; (surname); male; strong; one of the Eight Trigrams
乾隆是清朝一位有名的皇帝。Qián lóng shì Qīng cháo yì wèi yǒu míng de huáng dì.Qianlong was a famous emperor of the Qing Dynasty.
Common words: 乾旦 (qián dàn)、康乾盛世 (kāng qián shèng shì)、朝乾夕惕 (zhāo qián xī tì)
All 3 characters
Open 男、雄、乾 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.