Meaning of 男生
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- schoolboy
- male student
- boy
- guy (young adult male)
How to use 男生
男生 is the everyday word for boys and young men, used for school kids, university students, and young guys in general. Its partner is 女生 (nǚshēng) for girls. Example: 我们班有十个男生。(Wǒmen bān yǒu shí ge nánshēng.) There are ten boys in our class.
男 (nán) shows 田 (field) over 力 (strength), a person who works the field, and 生 (shēng) is the 生 in 学生 (xuéshēng, student). Put them together and you get a male student, or simply a boy.
Common mistake: Learners often use 男人 (nánrén) for a young guy, but 男人 sounds more adult and can feel heavy or blunt, while 男生 is casual and friendly for boys and young men. Also keep 生 as first tone shēng here, not the neutral tone in 先生 (xiānsheng).
男生 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.
男 nán · male · 7 strokes
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- 2
- 3
- 4
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- 7
生 shēng · to grow · 5 strokes
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- 5
Related words
Words that share a character with 男生.
| 先生 | xiānsheng | teacher; gentleman; sir; mister (Mr.) |
| 男人 | nánrén | a man; a male |
| 医生 | yīshēng | doctor; medical practitioner |
| 生气 | shēngqì | to get angry; to be furious; vitality; liveliness |
| 学生 | xuéshēng | student; schoolchild |
| 生日 | shēngrì | birthday |
| 男朋友 | nánpéngyou | boyfriend |
| 生病 | shēngbìng | to fall ill |
| 女生 | nǚshēng | schoolgirl; female student |
| 大学生 | dàxuéshēng | university student; college student |
| 男孩儿 | nánháir | erhua form of 男孩[nan2 hai2] |
| 小学生 | xiǎoxuéshēng | primary school student; schoolchild |
Questions about 男生
What does 男生 mean?
男生 (nánshēng) means "schoolboy; male student" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 男生?
男生 is made of 2 characters: 男 (7 strokes), 生 (5 strokes). That is 12 strokes in total.
Is 男生 an HSK word?
Yes. 男生 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
Can 男生 be used for adult men, not just students?
Yes. In everyday speech, especially among young people, 男生 is often used for men in their twenties or even thirties. It sounds lighter and younger than 男人 (nánrén).
What is the difference between 男生 and 男孩 (nánhái)?
男孩 usually means a little boy or child, while 男生 covers schoolboys up to young adult men. For a teenager or college student, 男生 is the more natural choice.