ZHIZHI 知止 · LEARN CHINESE DAILY

man / male

nán
7 strokes · 田 (field) + 力 (strength) · HSK 1

Where 男 comes from

男 = 田 (field) + 力 (strength/a plow). The one who works the fields with strength = a MAN. It's one of the most transparent characters in Chinese: the meaning is right there in the two pieces.

男 in Chinese culture

男 pairs with 女 (which you just learned) across the language: 男人 / 女人 (man / woman), 男孩 / 女孩 (boy / girl). Public restrooms are marked 男 and 女 — knowing these two characters is genuinely useful the moment you land in China.

Example

男人 nánrén — man

他是男人。
Tā shì nánrén.
He is a man.

How to remember it

Strength (力) in the field (田) — a MAN at work.

男 and 女 mark every restroom door in China. Master this pair and you'll never walk into the wrong one again.

Same sound, different tones

Words unlocked by 男

男人 nánrén
man
男子 nánzǐ
male
LEARN 男 WITH STROKE-BY-STROKE WRITING → DOWNLOAD ZHIZHI
One character a morning · 169-character HSK library · iOS