便 biàn — ordinary; plain; convenient; handy; easy; then
这里交通很方便。Zhè lǐ jiāo tōng hěn fāng biàn.The transportation here is very convenient.
Common words: 便宜 (biàn yí)、方便 (fāng biàn)、随便 (suí biàn)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "plain"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "plain", including 便 (biàn), 素 (sù), 野 (yě), 川 (chuān), 朴 (pǔ / pò). Study pinyin, English meanings…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "plain" covers 5 different Chinese characters — 便 (biàn), 素 (sù), 野 (yě), 川 (chuān), 朴 (pǔ / pò) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 5 characters do not share a sound — their readings span biàn, sù, yě, chuān, pǔ, pò — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 便 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 便 biànordinary; plain; convenient; handy; easy; thenUseful words: 便宜, 方便
- 素 sùplain; elementUseful words: 因素, 朴素
- 野 yěfield; plain; open space; limit; boundary; rudeUseful words: 田野, 视野
- 川 chuānriver; creek; plain; an area of level countryUseful words: 川流不息, 山川
- 朴 pǔ / pòCeltis sinensis var. japonica; Pak or Park (Korean surname); plain and simpleUseful words: 朴素, 朴实
Common words for these 5 "plain" characters
Anchor each of these 5 characters in a word you can picture — start with 便 (biàn) — so "plain" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
便宜biàn yíconvenient方便fāng biànconvenient; suitable; to facilitate; to make things easy随便suí biànas one wishes; as one pleases; at random; negligent因素yīn sùelement; factor朴素pǔ sùplain and simple; unadorned; simple living; not frivolous元素yuán sùelement (key component of sth); (chemistry) element; (math.) element (member of a set)田野tián yěfield; open land视野shì yěfield of view; (fig.) outlook; perspective野蛮yě mánbarbarous; uncivilized川流不息chuān liú bù xīthe stream flows without stopping (idiom); unending flow
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 5 ways to say "plain".
素 sù — plain; element
这道菜是用各种素菜做的。Zhè dào cài shì yòng gè zhǒng sù cài zuò de.This dish is made with various vegetables.
Common words: 因素 (yīn sù)、朴素 (pǔ sù)、元素 (yuán sù)
野 yě — field; plain; open space; limit; boundary; rude
春天，野外开满了野花。Chūn tiān, yě wài kāi mǎn le yě huā.In spring, the wild is full of wildflowers.
Common words: 田野 (tián yě)、视野 (shì yě)、野蛮 (yě mán)
川 chuān — river; creek; plain; an area of level country
四川是中国的一个省。Sì chuān shì Zhōng guó de yí ge shěng.Sichuan is a province in China.
Common words: 川流不息 (chuān liú bù xī)、山川 (shān chuān)、平川 (píng chuān)
朴 pǔ / pò — Celtis sinensis var. japonica; Pak or Park (Korean surname); plain and simple
他穿着十分朴素，从不讲究。Tā chuān zhe shí fēn pǔ sù, cóng bù jiǎng jiu.He dresses very plainly and is never fussy.
Common words: 朴素 (pǔ sù)、朴实 (pǔ shí)、质朴 (zhì pǔ)
All 5 characters
Open 便、素、野 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.