脑 meaning and stroke order
Brain
How to write 脑, stroke by stroke
10 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
Meaning of 脑
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- brain
- mind
- head
- essence
How 脑 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Flesh.
⺼ gives the meaning.
Radical: ⺼ (meat), shared by 176 characters on this site.
How to remember 脑
The flesh radical ⺼ on the left tells you this is a body part. On the right, a lid 亠 sits over 凶 (xiōng), like a skull cap covering the busy, tangled brain inside.
脑 (nǎo) rarely stands alone in speech. It mostly appears in words like 电脑 (diànnǎo, computer), 脑子 (nǎozi, brains), and 脑袋 (nǎodai, head). Example: 我的电脑坏了。(Wǒ de diànnǎo huài le.) My computer is broken.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 脑 (nǎo) with 恼 (nǎo, annoyed), which has the heart radical 忄 instead of flesh ⺼. Remember that the brain is a body part, so it takes ⺼, while the feeling of annoyance comes from the heart.
Common words with 脑
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 电脑 | diànnǎo | computer | HSK 1 |
| 头脑 | tóunǎo | brains; mind | HSK 3 |
| 脑袋 | nǎodai | head; skull | HSK 4 |
| 大脑 | dànǎo | brain; cerebrum | HSK 5 |
| 脑子 | nǎozi | brains; mind | HSK 5 |
| 首脑 | shǒunǎo | head (of state); summit (meeting) | HSK 6 |
| 脑海 | nǎohǎi | the mind; the brain | HSK 7-9 |
| 脑筋 | nǎojīn | brains; mind | HSK 7-9 |
| 伤脑筋 | shāng nǎojīn | to be a real headache; to find sth a real headache | HSK 7-9 |
| 洗脑 | xǐnǎo | to brainwash | |
| 脑后 | nǎohòu | the back of the head; (fig.) the back of one's mind | |
| 脑震荡 | nǎozhèndàng | (med.) cerebral concussion | |
| 脑残 | nǎocán | moronic; brainless | |
| 脑浆 | nǎojiāng | brains |
脑 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 脑
How many strokes are in 脑?
脑 is written with 10 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 脑 mean?
脑 (nǎo) means brain. A common word with it is 电脑 (diànnǎo), meaning "computer".
How do you pronounce 脑?
脑 is pronounced nǎo, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 脑?
The radical of 脑 is ⺼, which carries the idea of "meat". Dictionaries list 脑 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 脑?
The traditional form of 脑 is 腦. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 脑 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 脑 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 脑 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 2.
Why is a computer called 电脑 in Chinese?
电脑 (diànnǎo) literally means electric brain. 电 (diàn) means electricity, and 脑 (nǎo) means brain, so a computer is pictured as a brain that runs on electricity.
What is the difference between 脑子 and 脑袋?
脑子 (nǎozi) usually refers to the brain or a person's thinking ability, as in 他脑子很好 (tā nǎozi hěn hǎo, he is smart). 脑袋 (nǎodai) usually means the head itself, the physical part on top of your body.