满 mǎn — Manchurian; to fill; to fulfill; filled; packed
杯子里装满了水。Bēi zi lǐ zhuāng mǎn le shuǐ.The cup is filled with water.
Common words: 满意 (mǎn yì)、不满 (bù mǎn)、充满 (chōng mǎn)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to fill"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to fill", including 满 (mǎn), 补 (bǔ), 弥 (mí). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to fill" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 满 (mǎn), 补 (bǔ), 弥 (mí) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span mǎn, bǔ, mí — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 满 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 满 mǎnManchurian; to fill; to fulfill; filled; packedUseful words: 满意, 不满
- 补 bǔto repair; to patch; to mend; to make up for; to fill (a vacancy); to supplementUseful words: 补充, 补偿
- 弥 mífull; to fill; overflowingUseful words: 弥补, 弥漫
Common words for these 3 "to fill" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 满 (mǎn) — so "to fill" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
满意mǎn yìsatisfied; pleased; to one's satisfaction不满bù mǎndissatisfied; discontented; resentful; (before a number) to be less than充满chōng mǎnfull of; brimming with; very full; permeated补充bǔ chōngto replenish; to supplement; to complement; additional补偿bǔ chángto compensate; to make up补贴bǔ tiēto subsidize; subsidy; allowance; to supplement (one's salary etc)弥补mí bǔto complement; to make up for a deficiency弥漫mí mànto pervade; to fill the air; diffuse; everywhere present弥天mí tiānfilling the entire sky; covering everything (of fog, crime, disaster etc)
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 "to fill".
补 bǔ — to repair; to patch; to mend; to make up for; to fill (a vacancy); to supplement
妈妈帮我补好了破了的袜子。Mā ma bāng wǒ bǔ hǎo le pò le de wà zi.Mom mended my torn socks for me.
Common words: 补充 (bǔ chōng)、补偿 (bǔ cháng)、补贴 (bǔ tiē)
弥 mí — full; to fill; overflowing
春节的气氛弥漫在大街小巷。Chūn jié de qì fēn mí màn zài dà jiē xiǎo xiàng.The festive air of Spring Festival fills the streets and lanes.
Common words: 弥补 (mí bǔ)、弥漫 (mí màn)、弥天 (mí tiān)
All 3 characters
Open 满、补、弥 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.