闻

聞
wén
HSK 5
#823 most
frequent character
to hear, news, well-known, famous
verb
noun

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

闻 shows an ear 耳 with 门 mén, which supplies the sound. It first meant to receive news. From there it grew to hear, pass on information, be renowned, smell, and knowledge or news.

Drawn as: ear

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Example Sentences

我听到了他的声音。
wǒ tīngdào le tāde shēngyīn 。
I heard his voice.
这个地方闻名遐迩。
zhègè dìfāng wénmíng xiá ěr 。
This place is well-known far and wide.
我闻到了花的香味。
wǒ wén dàole huā de xiāngwèi 。
I smelled the fragrance of the flowers.

Words with similar meanings

听tīng
to hear
More direct and commonly used when referring to the act of perceiving sound.
嗅xiù
to smell
Specifically used for the act of smelling, often refers to a more active action.

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Public Lists with 闻

Basic Verbs
Core action verbs like 'go,' 'come,' 'eat,' 'see,' commonly encountered in HSK.
HSK 5
All words for the HSK 5 test
Advanced HSK5 Terms
Vocabulary commonly seen in HSK5 practice, bridging mid-high level usage.