番 meaning in English
(bound form) foreign (non-Chinese); barbarian; classifier for processes or actions that take time and effort
Meaning of 番
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- (bound form) foreign (non-Chinese); barbarian
- classifier for processes or actions that take time and effort
- (classifier) a kind; a sort
- (classifier) (used after the verb 翻[fan1] to indicate how many times a quantity doubles, as in 翻一番[fan1 yi1 fan1] "to double")
- surname Pan
How to use 番
番 is mostly used as a measure word for actions that take effort, often in 一番 (yīfān), and in 翻一番 (fān yī fān) to mean "to double." Its old meaning "foreign" survives in words like 番茄 (fānqié, tomato). Example: 他认真地思考了一番。(Tā rènzhēn de sīkǎo le yī fān.) He thought it over carefully.
番 (fān) has 田 (tián, field) at the bottom with a shape like scattered seeds or footprints on top. Picture a farmer working the field round after round, which links to its use as a classifier for efforts that take time.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 番 (fān) with 翻 (fān, to turn over), which adds 羽 on the right. In 翻一番 (to double) both appear: 翻 is the verb and 番 is the measure word.
番 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.
番 fān · foreign · 12 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 番.
Questions about 番
What does 番 mean?
番 (fān) means "(bound form) foreign (non-Chinese); barbarian; classifier for processes or actions that take time and effort" and is used as a measure word.
How do you write 番?
番 is made of 1 character: 番 (12 strokes). That is 12 strokes in total.
Is 番 an HSK word?
Yes. 番 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 一番 and 一次?
一次 (yī cì) simply counts one occurrence. 一番 (yī fān) suggests the action took real time or effort, and it often comes with words like 努力 or 思考. It sounds more formal and literary.
Why does 番茄 mean tomato?
In the dictionary data, 番 has a sense meaning "foreign (non-Chinese)," and 茄 (qié) means eggplant. So 番茄 is literally a "foreign eggplant." The same 番 appears in 番茄酱 (fānqiéjiàng, ketchup).