Meaning of 年
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- year
Measure word: 個|个
- surname Nian
- grain
- harvest (old)
- variant of 年[nian2]
How to use 年
年 works like a measure word, so it attaches directly to a number without 个 (gè), as in 三年 (sān nián, three years). It also builds common time words like 今年, 去年 and 明年. Example: 我在中国住了两年。(Wǒ zài Zhōngguó zhù le liǎng nián.) I lived in China for two years.
The old sense of 年 (nián) is grain or harvest, and a harvest comes once a year. Picture the long vertical stroke as a tall stalk of grain standing in the field, with the crossing lines as its leaves, marking one full year of growth.
Common mistake: Learners often say 两个年 or 三个年, but 年 never takes 个, so just say 两年 (liǎng nián). Also be careful with the shape: the long vertical stroke goes straight through and is written last, and the character is easy to confuse with 午 (wǔ, noon), which has fewer horizontal strokes.
年 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
年 nián · year · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Related words
Words that share a character with 年.
Questions about 年
What does 年 mean?
年 (nián) means "year" and is used as a measure word.
How do you write 年?
年 is made of 1 character: 年 (6 strokes). That is 6 strokes in total.
Is 年 an HSK word?
Yes. 年 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do I say a specific year like 2024 in Chinese?
Read each digit one by one and add 年 at the end: 二零二四年 (èr líng èr sì nián). Do not read it as a full number like two thousand twenty-four.
What is the difference between 年 and 岁 when talking about age?
Use 岁 (suì) for someone's age, as in 他十岁 (tā shí suì), he is ten years old. Use 年 for a length of time or a calendar year, as in 十年 (shí nián), ten years.