面 meaning and stroke order
Face; side; surface
How to write 面, stroke by stroke
9 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
Meaning of 面
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- face
- side
- surface
- aspect
- top
- classifier for objects with flat surfaces such as drums, mirrors, flags etc
How 面 is built
Pictographic character. A person's face.
How to remember 面
面 (miàn) is a picture of a person's face: the top stroke is the forehead, and the box with lines inside is the face framing the eyes and nose. Think of looking straight at someone's face, its front surface.
面 appears in many everyday words: meeting someone face to face is 见面 (jiànmiàn), and it also forms direction words like 里面 (lǐmiàn, inside) and 对面 (duìmiàn, opposite). It also means noodles or flour, as in 面条 (miàntiáo) and 面包 (miànbāo). Example: 我们明天见面吧。(Wǒmen míngtiān jiànmiàn ba.) Let's meet tomorrow.
Common mistake: Learners often write the inside of 面 with too few or too many horizontal strokes. Count three short horizontals inside the central frame, and do not confuse it with 而 (ér) or 西 (xī). Another trap is using 面 for a person's face in casual speech, where 脸 (liǎn) is far more natural.
Common words with 面
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 见面 | jiànmiàn | to meet; to see each other | HSK 1 |
| 面包 | miànbāo | bread | HSK 1 |
| 面条儿 | miàntiáor | erhua variant of 麵條|面条[mian4 tiao2] | HSK 1 |
| 面前 | miànqián | in front of; facing | HSK 2 |
| 方面 | fāngmiàn | respect; aspect | HSK 2 |
| 对面 | duìmiàn | opposite; across (the street etc); directly in front of one; up ahead | HSK 2 |
| 方便面 | fāngbiànmiàn | instant noodles | HSK 2 |
| 里面 | lǐmiàn | inside; interior | HSK 3 |
| 外面 | wàimiàn | outside (also pr. [wai4 mian5] for this sense); surface | HSK 3 |
| 上面 | shàngmiàn | on top of; above-mentioned | HSK 3 |
| 后面 | hòumiàn | the back; the rear; the last bit; behind; near the end; at the back | HSK 3 |
| 下面 | xiàmiàn | below; under | HSK 3 |
| 前面 | qiánmiàn | ahead; in front | HSK 3 |
| 面对 | miànduì | to face; to confront | HSK 3 |
面 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 面
Learning 面 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 面
How many strokes are in 面?
面 is written with 9 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 面 mean?
面 (miàn) means face; side; surface. A common word with it is 见面 (jiànmiàn), meaning "to meet; to see each other".
How do you pronounce 面?
面 is pronounced miàn, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the traditional form of 面?
The traditional form of 面 is 麪 and 麵. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 面 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 面 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 面 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.
Why does 面 mean both face and noodles?
In simplified Chinese, 面 replaced the traditional character 麵 (also written 麪), which meant flour or noodles. So the noodle meaning comes from merging two separate characters, not from the face picture.
How is 面 used as a measure word?
面 counts flat objects with a surface, such as mirrors, flags, walls and drums. For example, 一面镜子 (yí miàn jìngzi) means a mirror and 一面旗 (yí miàn qí) means a flag.