曼 meaning and stroke order
Long, extended, vast; beautiful
How to write 曼, stroke by stroke
11 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
Meaning of 曼
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- handsome
- large
- long
How 曼 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. Two hands 日, 又 pulling an eye open 罒.
Radical: 日 (sun), shared by 116 characters on this site.
How to remember 曼
Picture hands pulling an eye 罒 wide open, with 日 on top and 又 (a hand) below. An eye stretched open looks long and extended, which links to the meaning of 曼 (màn): long, vast, graceful.
曼 rarely stands alone in modern Chinese. It appears in literary words for gracefulness and length, in names, and often in loanwords for its sound, like 罗曼史 (luómànshǐ) romance and 曼波 (mànbō) mambo. Example: 她的舞姿很曼妙。 (Tā de wǔzī hěn mànmiào.) Her dancing is graceful and lovely.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 曼 with 慢 (màn, slow), 漫 (màn, overflowing, comic), and 蔓 (màn, vine). They share the same sound and the 曼 part, so check the radical: 忄 for feelings, 氵 for water, 艹 for plants.
Common words with 曼
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 罗曼史 | luómànshǐ | romance (loanword); love affair | |
| 曼波 | mànbō | (loanword) mambo (dance) |
曼 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 曼
Learning 曼 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 曼
How many strokes are in 曼?
曼 is written with 11 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 曼 mean?
曼 (màn) means long, extended, vast; beautiful. A common word with it is 罗曼史 (luómànshǐ), meaning "romance (loanword); love affair".
How do you pronounce 曼?
曼 is pronounced màn, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 曼?
The radical of 曼 is 日, which carries the idea of "sun". Dictionaries list 曼 under this radical.
Why does 曼 show up in so many foreign names?
Its sound màn is a handy match for syllables like "man" or "mann", and its meaning of beauty and grace sounds pleasant. You will see it in names such as 曼彻斯特 (Mànchèsītè) Manchester.
What does 曼妙 mean and when is it used?
曼妙 (mànmiào) means graceful and lovely. It is a fairly literary word, often used to describe dancing, music, or a person's figure.