喃 meaning and stroke order
To chatter, to keep talking; to mumble
How to write 喃, stroke by stroke
12 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 喃
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- mumble in repetition
How 喃 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Mouth.
口 gives the meaning and 南 hints at the sound.
Radical: 口 (mouth), shared by 428 characters on this site.
How to remember 喃
喃 combines 口 (mouth), which shows the meaning, with 南 (nán, south), which gives the sound. Picture a mouth softly saying "nán, nán" over and over, like someone mumbling to themselves.
喃 almost never appears alone. It is usually doubled as 喃喃 (nánnán) to describe low, repeated muttering or murmuring, often in writing. Example: 他一个人喃喃自语。(Tā yí gè rén nánnán zìyǔ.) He was mumbling to himself.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes write just 南 and leave out the 口 on the left, since both are read nán. Remember that the mouth radical is needed when the word is about speaking.
Common words with 喃
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
喃 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 喃
How many strokes are in 喃?
喃 is written with 12 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 喃 mean?
喃 (nán) means to chatter, to keep talking; to mumble. A common word with it is 喃喃 (nánnán), meaning "(onom.) to mutter; to mumble; to murmur".
How do you pronounce 喃?
喃 is pronounced nán, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 喃?
The radical of 喃 is 口, which carries the idea of "mouth". Dictionaries list 喃 under this radical.
What is the difference between 喃喃 and 嘟囔?
Both describe speaking in a low, unclear voice. 喃喃 (nánnán) is more literary and often suggests soft, repeated murmuring. 嘟囔 (dūnang) is more colloquial and often suggests grumbling or complaining.
Is 喃 used in the name of a writing system?
Yes. 喃 appears in 字喃 (zìnán), the Chinese name for Chữ Nôm, the old Vietnamese script based on Chinese characters. This is a specialized use and is separate from its everyday meaning of mumbling.