黏

nián
#3,637 most
frequent character
sticky
adjective

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

黏 nián uses 黍 grain for meaning and 占 zhàn for sound, though the sound link is not clear today. Grain can be gluey when cooked, so the first sense was sticking together. It grew to sticky and then to sticking to something.

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Example Sentences

这个胶水很黏。
zhègè jiāoshuǐ hěn nián 。
This glue is very sticky.
天气潮湿，所以地上有一点黏。
tiānqì cháoshī ， suǒyǐ dìshàng yǒu yīdiǎn nián 。
The weather is humid, so the ground is a bit sticky.
我不喜欢黏黏的食物。
wǒbù xǐhuān niánnián de shíwù 。
I don't like sticky food.

Words with similar meanings

粘nián
adhesive
This word is often used in a more technical context to describe something that has adhesive properties.

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