TraceHanzi

让 meaning in English

ràng

to yield; to permit

HSK 2verbprepositionTraditional 讓5 strokes

Meaning of 让

Definitions from CC-CEDICT.

ràng
  1. to yield
  2. to permit
  3. to let sb do sth
  4. to have sb do sth
  5. to make sb (feel sad etc)
  6. by (indicates the agent in a passive clause, like 被[bei4])

How to use 让

让 is most often used to let or make someone do something, in the pattern 让 + person + verb. It also means to give way, as in 让座 (ràngzuò) and 让路 (rànglù). Example: 妈妈不让我看电视。(Māma bú ràng wǒ kàn diànshì.) Mom doesn't let me watch TV.

让 has the speech radical 讠 on the left and 上 (shàng, up) on the right. Picture someone speaking politely and offering to let you go up first, which is how 让 means to yield or to let.

Common mistake: Learners often say 让我高兴 when they mean 我很高兴. 让 points to a cause, so use it only when something makes you feel that way, as in 这个消息让我很高兴 (This news made me happy). Also do not confuse 让 with 认 (rèn, to recognize), which shares the 讠 radical.

让 in example sentences

Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.

他tā让ràng我wǒ做zuò，我wǒ就jiù做zuò了le。
He told me to do it, so I did it.
现xiàn在zài让ràng我wǒ们men开kāi始shǐ工gōng作zuò。
Now let's get down to work.
你nǐ让ràng我wǒ想xiǎng起qǐ我wǒ自zì己jǐ。
You remind me of myself.
让ràng我wǒ们men再zài次cì做zuò那nà个ge。
Let's do that once again.
他tā的de来lái信xìn让ràng我wǒ不bù安ān。
His letter makes me uneasy.

Stroke order for each character

Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.

让 ràng · to yield · 5 strokes

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5

Related words

Words that share a character with 让.

转让zhuǎnràngto transfer (ownership, rights etc)
让座ràngzuòto give up one's seat for sb
让步ràngbùto concede; to give in
退让tuìràngto move aside; to get out of the way
让开ràngkāito get out of the way; to step aside
让路rànglùto make way (for sth)
让位ràngwèito abdicate; to yield

Questions about 让

What does 让 mean?

让 (ràng) means "to yield; to permit" and is used as a verb and preposition.

How do you write 让?

让 is made of 1 character: 让 (5 strokes). That is 5 strokes in total.

Is 让 an HSK word?

Yes. 让 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.

How is 让 written in traditional Chinese?

In traditional characters, 让 is written 讓.

What is the difference between 让 and 叫 when they mean to have someone do something?

Both can mean to tell or have someone do something, and in many sentences they are interchangeable. 叫 (jiào) sounds more like a direct order and is more colloquial. 让 is softer and can also mean to allow.

Can 让 be used for passive sentences like 被?

Yes. In spoken Chinese, 让 can mark the doer in a passive sentence, as in 我的自行车让人偷了 (My bike was stolen by someone). Unlike 被, 让 in this use must be followed by the doer, so you cannot drop it.

啊Previous in HSK 2a