男 meaning and stroke order
(bound form) male; baron, the lowest of the five ranks of nobility 五等爵位[wu3 deng3 jue2 wei4]
How to write 男, stroke by stroke
7 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 男
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (bound form) male
- baron, the lowest of the five ranks of nobility 五等爵位[wu3 deng3 jue2 wei4]
How 男 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. Someone who can work 力 the farm 田.
Radical: 田 (field), shared by 46 characters on this site.
How to remember 男
The top part is a field 田 (tián) and the bottom part is strength 力 (lì). Picture someone using their strength to work the field, and you have 男 (nán), a man.
男 is a bound form, so it usually appears inside words like 男人 (nánrén), 男生 (nánshēng) and 男朋友 (nánpéngyou) rather than standing alone. It is also used on signs and forms to mark male, as in 男厕所 (nán cèsuǒ, men's restroom). Example: 他是我的男朋友。(Tā shì wǒ de nánpéngyou.) He is my boyfriend.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes write the bottom part as 刀 (dāo, knife) instead of 力 (lì). In 力 the stroke crosses above the hook, while 刀 has no stroke poking through. Also keep the second tone in nán so it does not sound like 难 (nán) only by context, and do not confuse it with 南 (nán, south), which sounds the same.
Common words with 男
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 男人 | nánrén | a man; a male | HSK 1 |
| 男朋友 | nánpéngyou | boyfriend | HSK 1 |
| 男生 | nánshēng | schoolboy; male student | HSK 1 |
| 男孩儿 | nánháir | erhua form of 男孩[nan2 hai2] | HSK 1 |
| 男子 | nánzǐ | a man; a male | HSK 3 |
| 男女 | nánnǚ | male-female; male and female | HSK 4 |
| 男士 | nánshì | man; gentleman | HSK 4 |
| 男性 | nánxìng | the male sex; a male | HSK 5 |
| 男孩 | nánhái | boy | |
| 男友 | nányǒu | boyfriend | |
| 男孩子 | nánháizi | boy | |
| 男爵 | nánjué | baron | |
| 男子汉 | nánzǐhàn | man (i.e. manly, masculine) | |
| 前男友 | qiánnányǒu | ex-boyfriend |
男 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 男
Learning 男 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 男
How many strokes are in 男?
男 is written with 7 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 男 mean?
男 (nán) means (bound form) male; baron, the lowest of the five ranks of nobility 五等爵位[wu3 deng3 jue2 wei4]. A common word with it is 男人 (nánrén), meaning "a man; a male".
How do you pronounce 男?
男 is pronounced nán, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 男?
The radical of 男 is 田, which carries the idea of "field". Dictionaries list 男 under this radical.
Is 男 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 男 is part of the HSK 1 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 1.
Can I call a man 男 by itself in Chinese?
Usually not. In speech you say 男人 (nánrén), 男的 (nán de) or 男生 (nánshēng). 男 alone mostly appears in compounds, on forms, and on signs.
What is the difference between 男人, 男生 and 男士?
男人 (nánrén) is a general word for an adult man. 男生 (nánshēng) means a male student, and is often used casually for young men. 男士 (nánshì) is polite, like gentleman, and is common in formal speech and on product labels.