悶 meaning and stroke order
Gloomy, depressed, melancholy
How to write 悶, 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.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
Meaning of 悶
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- stuffy
- shut indoors
- to smother
- to cover tightly
- bored
- depressed
- melancholy
- sealed
- airtight
- tightly closed
How 悶 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Heart.
心 gives the meaning and 門 hints at the sound.
Radical: 心 (heart), shared by 97 characters on this site.
How to remember 悶
悶 is a heart 心 shut inside a door 門. When your heart is closed in behind a door, you feel stuffy, bored, and low. 門 (mén) also hints at the sound mèn.
In the fourth tone mèn it describes feeling bored, down, or gloomy. It appears in words like 郁闷 (yùmèn) and 闷闷不乐 (mènmènbùlè). Example: 他最近很郁闷。(Tā zuìjìn hěn yùmèn.) He has been feeling down lately.
Common mistake: Learners often read 悶 the same in every word. It is first tone mēn for physical stuffiness, as in 闷热 (mēnrè, sultry), and fourth tone mèn for feelings, as in 苦闷 (kǔmèn). Also do not confuse it with 問 (wèn, to ask), which has a mouth 口 inside the door instead of a heart.
Common words with 悶
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
Questions about 悶
How many strokes are in 悶?
悶 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 悶 mean?
悶 (mèn) means gloomy, depressed, melancholy. A common word with it is 沉闷 (chénmèn), meaning "oppressive (of weather); heavy".
How do you pronounce 悶?
悶 is pronounced mèn, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 悶?
The radical of 悶 is 心, which carries the idea of "heart". Dictionaries list 悶 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 悶?
悶 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 闷, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What does 纳闷 (nàmèn) mean, and is it about being sad?
No. 纳闷 means puzzled or wondering why something happened. 我很纳闷他为什么没来 means I really wonder why he did not come.
Can 闷 be used as a cooking word?
Yes. In the first tone mēn it can mean to cover a pot tightly and let food cook or steep, for example 闷一会儿 (mēn yíhuìr), let it sit covered for a while. This comes from the sense of sealing something in.