晚 wǎn — evening; night; late
今天晚上我们一起吃饭。Jīn tiān wǎn shàng wǒ men yì qǐ chī fàn.Tonight we will have dinner together.
Common words: 晚上 (wǎn shang)、晚饭 (wǎn fàn)、晚安 (wǎn ān)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "night"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "night", including 晚 (wǎn), 夜 (yè), 宿 (sù / xiǔ / xiù). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "night" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 晚 (wǎn), 夜 (yè), 宿 (sù / xiǔ / xiù) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span wǎn, yè, sù, xiǔ, xiù — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 晚 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 晚 wǎnevening; night; lateUseful words: 晚上, 晚饭
- 夜 yènightUseful words: 半夜, 夜里
- 宿 sù / xiǔ / xiùlodge for the night; old; former; (a) night; constellationUseful words: 宿舍, 住宿
Common words for these 3 "night" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 晚 (wǎn) — so "night" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
晚上wǎn shangevening; night; in the evening晚饭wǎn fànevening meal; dinner; supper晚安wǎn ānGood night!; Good evening!半夜bàn yèmidnight; in the middle of the night夜里yè liduring the night; at night; nighttime夜晚yè wǎnnight宿舍sù shèdormitory; dorm room; living quarters; hostel住宿zhù sùto stay at; lodging; accommodation归宿guī sùplace to return to; home; final destination; ending
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 "night".
夜 yè — night
我们聊到深夜才睡觉。Wǒ men liáo dào shēn yè cái shuì jiào.We chatted until late at night before going to sleep.
Common words: 半夜 (bàn yè)、夜里 (yè li)、夜晚 (yè wǎn)
宿 sù / xiǔ / xiù — lodge for the night; old; former; (a) night; constellation
这次旅行，我们在山里的客栈住宿了一晚。Zhè cì lǚ xíng, wǒ men zài shān lǐ de kè zhàn zhù sù le yì wǎn.On this trip, we stayed overnight at an inn in the mountains.
Common words: 宿舍 (sù shè)、住宿 (zhù sù)、归宿 (guī sù)
All 3 characters
Open 晚、夜、宿 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.