难

難
nán
HSK 3
#295 most
frequent character
difficult (to...), problem
adjective

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

难 first meant a kind of bird; 隹 bird is the meaning part. The old sound part 漢 without 氵 is now written 又, an empty part whose sound link is unclear today. The sense 'difficult' was borrowed for its sound, and from there came 'trouble' for nán and 'disaster' for nàn.

难 as a component in other characters

sound4 characters
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Example Sentences

这道题很难。
zhè dào tí hěn nán 。
This question is very difficult.
学习中文对我来说很难。
xuéxí zhōngwén duì wǒ láishuō hěn nán 。
Learning Chinese is difficult for me.
你能帮我吗？这件事太难了。
nǐ néng bāng wǒma ？ zhè jiàn shì tài nánle 。
Can you help me? This matter is too difficult.

Grammar Points

HSK 3
Expressing "difficult" with "nan"
HSK 5
Expressing "no wonder"怪不得…原来难怪…原来

Same Characters, Different Readings

难nàn
disaster, distress, to scold

Words with similar meanings

艰难jiānnán
arduous
Refers to something that is not only difficult but also requires significant effort and perseverance.
困难kùnnán
challenging
A general term for something that poses difficulty, often implying obstacles that need to be overcome.

Homophones

HSK 3
南nán
south
男nán
Man

Words Starting With 难

难过nán guò
feel sorry; be grieved
难受nán shòu
to feel unwell; to suffer pain; to be difficult to bear
难道nán dào
don't tell me ...; could it be that...?
难怪nán guài
(it's) no wonder (that...); (it's) not surprising (that)
难看nán kàn
ugly; unsightly

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Public Lists with 难

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