鬧 meaning and stroke order
Busy, lively; to dispute, to quarrel
How to write 鬧, 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 鬧
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- noisy
- cacophonous
- to make noise
- to disturb
- to vent (feelings)
- to fall ill
How 鬧 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. As busy as the market 市 gate 鬥.
Radical: 鬥 (to struggle), shared by 6 characters on this site.
How to remember 鬧
Picture a market 市 (shì) squeezed inside the 鬥 frame, which looks like a gate. A market at the gate is crowded, loud and full of people arguing over prices, so 鬧 means noisy or making a fuss.
鬧 (nào) describes noise and commotion, and also causing trouble or venting feelings. It appears in everyday words like 熱鬧 (rènao, lively) and 鬧鐘 (nàozhōng, alarm clock). Example: 夜市很熱鬧。(Yèshì hěn rènao.) The night market is very lively.
Common mistake: The outer part of 鬧 is 鬥, not 門. Learners often write it with 門 because the simplified form 闹 uses 门. Also, in 熱鬧 the second syllable is usually said in the neutral tone (rènao), not a full fourth tone.
Common words with 鬧
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 熱鬧 | rènao | lively; bustling; full of activity; to make things lively; to have a good time | HSK 4 |
| 鬧鐘 | nàozhōng | alarm clock | HSK 4 |
| 胡鬧 | húnào | to act willfully and make a scene; to make trouble | HSK 7-9 |
| 鬧事 | nàoshì | to cause trouble; to create a disturbance | HSK 7-9 |
| 喧鬧 | xuānnào | to make a noise; noisy | HSK 7-9 |
| 看熱鬧 | kàn rènao | to enjoy watching a bustling scene; to go where the crowds are | HSK 7-9 |
| 鬧著玩兒 | nàozhewánr | to play games; to joke around | HSK 7-9 |
| 鬧鬼 | nàoguǐ | haunted | |
| 鬧劇 | nàojù | farce | |
| 吵鬧 | chǎonào | noisy; raucous | |
| 無理取鬧 | wúlǐqǔnào | (idiom) to make trouble without reason; to be deliberately provocative | |
| 哭鬧 | kūnào | to bawl, disturbing others | |
| 大吵大鬧 | dàchǎodànào | to shout and scream (idiom); to kick up a fuss; to make a scene | |
| 鬧大 | nàodà | (of a person) to make a big fuss about (sth); to make a big deal of; (of an adverse situat |
Questions about 鬧
How many strokes are in 鬧?
鬧 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 鬧 mean?
鬧 (nào) means busy, lively; to dispute, to quarrel. A common word with it is 热闹 (rènao), meaning "lively; bustling; full of activity; to make things lively; to have a good time".
How do you pronounce 鬧?
鬧 is pronounced nào, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 鬧?
The radical of 鬧 is 鬥, which carries the idea of "to struggle". Dictionaries list 鬧 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 鬧?
鬧 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 闹, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the difference between 鬧 and 吵 (chǎo)?
吵 focuses on noise or loud arguing. 鬧 is broader. It can mean a happy, festive buzz as in 熱鬧, or making a scene and causing trouble as in 胡鬧 (húnào).
How is 鬧 used to talk about being sick?
鬧 can mean to suffer from an illness or a problem. A common example is 鬧肚子 (nào dùzi), to have an upset stomach. The same idea shows up in 鬧鬼 (nàoguǐ), a place being haunted.