烂
爛làn
HSK 5
#1,752 most
frequent character
soft, mushy, well-cooked and soft
adjective
verb
Character breakdown
Source: Make Me a Hanzi.
火 fire is the meaning part and 兰 lán supplies the sound. The first sense was 'overcook something,' which grew to 'rot, go bad' and on to 'rotten,' 'worn out,' and 'bad.'
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Example Sentences
这个苹果已经烂了。
zhègè píngguǒ yǐjīng làn le 。
This apple is already rotten.
他的衣服看起来有点儿烂。
tāde yīfú kànqǐlái yǒu diǎnér làn 。
His clothes look a bit worn out.
这道菜煮得非常烂，味道很好。
zhè dào cài zhǔdé fēicháng làn ， wèidào hěnhǎo 。
This dish is cooked very soft, and it tastes great.
Words with similar meanings
坏huài
bad; spoiled
This word can describe something that is no longer good or has decayed, similar to '烂' in the sense of being spoiled or rotten.
腐烂fǔlàn
to rot; to decay
This is a more specific term referring directly to the process of rotting, which aligns closely with one of the meanings of '烂'.
糟zāo
bad; terrible
This term is often used informally to indicate something of poor quality or in bad condition, similar to the informal use of '烂'.
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