孪 meaning and stroke order
Twins
How to write 孪, stroke by stroke
9 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
Meaning of 孪
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- twins
How 孪 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. Giving birth to a second 亦 child 子.
Radical: 子 (son), shared by 30 characters on this site.
How to remember 孪
The top part 亦 (yì) means "also," and the bottom part 子 (zǐ) means "child." A mother has a child, and also another child at the same time, so 孪 (luán) means twins.
孪 almost never appears alone. It is used in the word 孪生 (luánshēng), meaning twin, as in 孪生兄弟 (twin brothers) or 孪生姐妹 (twin sisters). Example: 他们是孪生兄弟。(Tāmen shì luánshēng xiōngdì.) They are twin brothers.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 孪 (luán) with 恋 (liàn, love) and 变 (biàn, change), because all three have the same top part. Check the bottom: 孪 has 子 (child), 恋 has 心 (heart), and 变 has 又.
Common words with 孪
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 孪生 | luánshēng | (adj.) twin | HSK 7-9 |
Questions about 孪
How many strokes are in 孪?
孪 is written with 9 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 孪 mean?
孪 (luán) means twins. A common word with it is 孪生 (luánshēng), meaning "(adj.) twin".
How do you pronounce 孪?
孪 is pronounced luán, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 孪?
The radical of 孪 is 子, which carries the idea of "son". Dictionaries list 孪 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 孪?
The traditional form of 孪 is 孿. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 孪 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 孪 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 孪 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the everyday word for twins in Chinese?
In daily speech people usually say 双胞胎 (shuāngbāotāi) for twins. 孪生 (luánshēng) is a bit more formal or written, and it often appears in fixed phrases like 孪生兄弟.
Can 孪生 be used for things that are not people?
Yes. It can describe things that come in a matched pair, such as 孪生城市 (luánshēng chéngshì), sister or twin cities. It can also appear in technical terms like 数字孪生 (shùzì luánshēng), digital twin.