The character 男 — “man”: how to write it and what it means
man, male
The Chinese character 男 is read nán and means “man, male”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 男
男 has 7 strokes. At each step the new stroke is highlighted — write them in the same order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical, a frame before what is inside it, and the bottom stroke of the frame last.
To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for 男, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 男 is made of
On top, 田 “field”; below, 力 “strength”.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 男
- 男朋友boyfriendHSK 1
- 男孩儿boyHSK 2
- 男人manHSK 3
- 男生male student, guyHSK 3
- 男性man, maleHSK 4
- 男士gentleman (polite)HSK 4
- 男子man; men's (sport)HSK 5
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 男?
男 has 7 strokes. They follow the usual rules: top to bottom, left to right, horizontal before vertical, outside before inside. The order of each stroke is shown on this page.
What does 男 mean?
男 means “man, male”. It appears in 男朋友 (“boyfriend”), 男孩儿 (“boy”), 男人 (“man”), 男生 (“male student”).
How do you pronounce 男?
男 is read nán. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 男 have?
7 strokes.
← 子 child漂 part of “beautiful” →
More characters on the page “Chinese characters with meanings” and in the list of HSK characters by level; whole words are in the dictionary.
Write 男 yourself
In the lessons you write characters stroke by stroke with a finger or a mouse, and the course checks the order. You can start for free, no sign-up needed.
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