倪 meaning and stroke order
Feeble, tiny, young and weak
How to write 倪, stroke by stroke
10 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 倪
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (literary) small child
- (literary) limit; bound; extremity
- (literary) to differentiate
- (literary) origin; cause
How 倪 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A young child 兒.
Radical: 亻 (man), shared by 277 characters on this site.
How to remember 倪
倪 combines the person radical 亻 with 兒 (ér), a child. Picture a person who is still just a small child, tiny and weak, and you have the meaning of 倪.
Today 倪 is almost never used alone in speech. It appears mainly as a surname, as in the singer 倪妮 (Ní Nī), and in the literary set phrase 端倪 (duānní), meaning a clue or the first sign of something: 事情已经有了端倪 (shìqing yǐjīng yǒu le duānní), "The matter is already showing signs of how it will turn out."
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 倪 with 霓 (ní, as in 霓虹 níhóng, neon), which shares the sound and the 兒 part but has the rain radical on top. Another trap is reading the 兒 part as ér. In 倪 it is pronounced ní with a rising second tone.
Questions about 倪
How many strokes are in 倪?
倪 is written with 10 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 倪 mean?
倪 (ní) means feeble, tiny, young and weak.
How do you pronounce 倪?
倪 is pronounced ní, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 倪?
The radical of 倪 is 亻, which carries the idea of "man". Dictionaries list 倪 under this radical.
What does 端倪 mean and how do I use it?
端倪 (duānní) means a clue, a hint, or the beginnings of something. It often appears with verbs like 露出 (lùchū, to reveal) or 看出 (kànchū, to discern), as in 看出端倪 (kànchū duānní), "to spot the clues."
Is 倪 a common Chinese surname?
Yes, 倪 (Ní) is a well-known surname, though not among the very largest. Well-known bearers include the Yuan dynasty painter 倪瓒 (Ní Zàn) and the writer 倪匡 (Ní Kuāng).