寧 meaning and stroke order
Calm, peaceful; healthy; rather; to prefer
How to write 寧, stroke by stroke
14 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 寧
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- peaceful
- to pacify
- to visit (one's parents etc)
- would rather
- to prefer
- how (emphatic)
- Taiwan pr. [ning2]
How 寧 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Heart.
心 gives the meaning and 丁 hints at the sound.
Radical: 宀 (roof), shared by 67 characters on this site.
How to remember 寧
Under a roof 宀 sits a heart 心 above a bowl 皿: a home where the heart is at ease and the bowl is full feels calm and peaceful. The 丁 (dīng) at the bottom gives the sound hint for níng.
寧 is the traditional form. In mainland simplified writing it appears as 宁, in words like 安宁 (ānníng, peaceful) and 宁静 (níngjìng, tranquil). Read as nìng, it means "would rather": 我宁可走路。(Wǒ nìngkě zǒulù.) I would rather walk.
Common mistake: Learners often read every 寧 with the second tone. In 宁可 and 宁愿 it is fourth tone nìng in mainland Mandarin, though Taiwan uses níng for these too. Also do not confuse simplified 宁 with 字 (zì), which has 子 under the roof instead of 丁.
Common words with 寧
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
Characters that contain 寧
Learning 寧 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 寧
How many strokes are in 寧?
寧 is written with 14 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 寧 mean?
寧 (níng) means calm, peaceful; healthy; rather; to prefer. A common word with it is 宁静 (níngjìng), meaning "tranquil; tranquility".
How do you pronounce 寧?
寧 is pronounced níng, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 寧?
The radical of 寧 is 宀, which carries the idea of "roof". Dictionaries list 寧 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 寧?
寧 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 宁, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the difference between 宁可 and 宁愿?
Both mean "would rather" and are often interchangeable. 宁愿 leans more toward personal wishes, while 宁可 is common when weighing two bad options, often followed by 也不 (yě bù), as in 宁可饿着也不吃 (would rather go hungry than eat it).
Why does 寧 appear in the place name Nanjing's short form and other names?
寧 is used in names because of its meaning of peace. For example, 宁 is the short name for Nanjing and also appears in 宁夏 (Níngxià) and 辽宁 (Liáoníng), always read níng in place names.