面
miàn
#74 most
frequent character
face, surface, outside, side
noun
Character breakdown
Source: Make Me a Hanzi.
面 draws a face outline 囗 with an eye 目 inside. That gave the first meaning, 'a person's face'. It grew to 'surface', 'side, aspect', and then to 'wheat flour' by sound loan, and from there 'noodles'.
Drawn as: face outline; eye
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Example Sentences
他的脸很漂亮。
tāde liǎn hěn piàoliàng 。
His face is very beautiful.
这块面很滑。
zhè kuài miàn hěn huá 。
This surface is very smooth.
我买了面粉来做蛋糕。
wǒ mǎi le miànfěn lái zuò dàngāo 。
I bought flour to make a cake.
Same Characters, Different Readings
Words with similar meanings
脸liǎn
face
Specifically refers to the human face as opposed to the general term '面'.
表面biǎomiàn
surface
Refers to the outer layer or exterior of an object.
外表wàibiǎo
appearance
Emphasizes the external characteristics or look of something.
面粉miànfěn
flour
Specifically refers to the powdered form of grains used in cooking.
Homophones
Words Starting With 面
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