碾 meaning and stroke order
Stone roller; to crush, to roll
How to write 碾, stroke by stroke
15 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 碾
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- stone roller
- roller and millstone
- to grind
- to crush
- to husk
How 碾 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Stone.
石 gives the meaning and 展 hints at the sound.
Radical: 石 (stone), shared by 114 characters on this site.
How to remember 碾
Picture a heavy stone 石 (shí) being rolled out flat to unfold 展 (zhǎn) grain across the ground. The stone side gives the meaning, and 展 hints at the sound niǎn.
碾 (niǎn) is used for crushing or grinding something under a heavy rolling weight, like a millstone, a road roller, or a wheel. It also appears as a noun for the stone roller itself. Example: 把药片碾碎。(Bǎ yàopiàn niǎnsuì.) Crush the pill into powder.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 碾 (niǎn) with 辗 (zhǎn/niǎn), which has the cart radical 车 and appears in 辗转 (zhǎnzhuǎn). Use 碾 with the stone radical for grinding and crushing, as in 碾碎.
Common words with 碾
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 碾碎 | niǎnsuì | to pulverize; to crush |
碾 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 碾
How many strokes are in 碾?
碾 is written with 15 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 碾 mean?
碾 (niǎn) means stone roller; to crush, to roll. A common word with it is 碾碎 (niǎnsuì), meaning "to pulverize; to crush".
How do you pronounce 碾?
碾 is pronounced niǎn, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 碾?
The radical of 碾 is 石, which carries the idea of "stone". Dictionaries list 碾 under this radical.
How do you say a car ran over something using 碾?
You can say 被车碾过 (bèi chē niǎn guò), meaning it was run over by a vehicle. The verb 碾压 (niǎnyā) is also common for crushing under wheels, and it is used figuratively for overwhelming an opponent.
What is the difference between 碾 and 磨?
磨 (mó) means to grind by rubbing, like sharpening a knife or grinding with a millstone. 碾 (niǎn) focuses on crushing by rolling heavy weight over something. Both can apply to grain, but 碾 suggests pressure from a roller.