闷 mēn / mèn — smother; stuffy; melancholy
房间里太闷了，开窗透透气吧。Fáng jiān lǐ tài mēn le, kāi chuāng tòu tou qì ba.It is too stuffy in the room; open the window to let in air.
Common words: 沉闷 (chén mèn)、纳闷儿 (nà mèn r)、烦闷 (fán mèn)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "melancholy"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "melancholy", including 闷 (mēn / mèn), 郁 (yù). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "melancholy" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 闷 (mēn / mèn), 郁 (yù) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span mēn, mèn, yù — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 闷 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 闷 mēn / mènsmother; stuffy; melancholyUseful words: 沉闷, 纳闷儿
- 郁 yù(surname); elegant; dense (growth); melancholyUseful words: 忧郁, 抑郁
Common words for these 2 "melancholy" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 闷 (mēn / mèn) — so "melancholy" 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 "melancholy".
郁 yù — (surname); elegant; dense (growth); melancholy
这件事让他心里十分郁闷。Zhè jiàn shì ràng tā xīn lǐ shí fēn yù mèn.This matter made him very depressed.
Common words: 忧郁 (yōu yù)、抑郁 (yì yù)、抑郁症 (yì yù zhèng)
All 2 characters
Open 闷、郁 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.