泛 fàn — broad; vast; float; pan-; float; general
微风吹过，湖面泛起一圈圈波纹。Wēi fēng chuī guò, hú miàn fàn qǐ yì quān quān bō wén.A breeze blew, and ripples spread across the lake.
Common words: 广泛 (guǎng fàn)、泛滥 (fàn làn)、宽泛 (kuān fàn)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "pan-"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "pan-", including 泛 (fàn), 锅 (guō). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words, and examples.
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "pan-" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 泛 (fàn), 锅 (guō) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span fàn, guō — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 泛 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 泛 fànbroad; vast; float; pan-; float; generalUseful words: 广泛, 泛滥
- 锅 guōpot; pan; boilerUseful words: 火锅, 电饭锅
Common words for these 2 "pan-" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 泛 (fàn) — so "pan-" 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 "pan-".
锅 guō — pot; pan; boiler
妈妈在锅里炒了一盘青菜。Mā ma zài guō lǐ chǎo le yì pán qīng cài.Mom stir-fried a plate of greens in the wok.
Common words: 火锅 (huǒ guō)、电饭锅 (diàn fàn guō)、一锅粥 (yī guō zhōu)
All 2 characters
Open 泛、锅 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.