Meaning of 自然
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- nature
- natural
- naturally
How to use 自然
As a noun it means nature, as in 大自然 (dà zìrán) the natural world. As an adjective it means natural or relaxed, and as an adverb it means naturally or of course. 他说得很自然。(Tā shuō de hěn zìrán.) He speaks very naturally.
自 (zì) means self, as in 自己 (zìjǐ), and 然 (rán) means so or like this, as in 虽然 (suīrán). Something that is "so by itself" happens on its own, which is nature and being natural.
Common mistake: Learners often use 自然 alone for "the outdoors" where Chinese prefers 大自然 (dà zìrán), for example 我喜欢大自然 rather than 我喜欢自然. Also keep rán in the second tone. In casual speech it is often said zìran with a light second syllable, which is fine.
自然 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.
自 zì · self · 6 strokes
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然 rán · certainly · 12 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 自然.
| 自己 | zìjǐ | oneself; (attributive) one's own |
| 然后 | ránhòu | then; after that; afterwards |
| 虽然 | suīrán | although; even though (often used correlatively with 可是[ke3 shi4] or 但是[dan4 shi4] etc) |
| 自由 | zìyóu | freedom; liberty; free; unrestricted |
| 来自 | láizì | to come from (a place); From: (in email header) |
| 自行车 | zìxíngchē | bicycle; bike |
| 大自然 | dàzìrán | nature (the natural world) |
| 忽然 | hūrán | suddenly; all of a sudden |
| 当然 | dāngrán | only natural; as it should be |
| 突然 | tūrán | sudden; abrupt; unexpected |
| 仍然 | réngrán | still; as before; yet |
| 显然 | xiǎnrán | clearly; evidently; obviously |
Questions about 自然
What does 自然 mean?
自然 (zìrán) means "nature; natural" and is used as a noun, adjective and adverb.
How do you write 自然?
自然 is made of 2 characters: 自 (6 strokes), 然 (12 strokes). That is 18 strokes in total.
Is 自然 an HSK word?
Yes. 自然 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 自然 and 当然?
当然 (dāngrán) means "of course" and expresses that something is obvious, often as a reply. 自然 as an adverb means something follows naturally from a situation, as in 多练习自然会进步 (duō liànxí zìrán huì jìnbù), practice more and you will naturally improve.
How do you say "natural science" or "unnatural" in Chinese?
Natural science is 自然科学 (zìrán kēxué). Unnatural or awkward is 不自然 (bù zìrán), often used for stiff behavior, as in 他笑得很不自然 (he smiled awkwardly).