男 (nán) · male; man

Meanings

1 male; man

Characters

男

nán

male; man

田 (field) + 力 (strength) - strength in the field

Examples

HSK 2

男的在左边，女的在右边。

Nán de zài zuǒbiān, nǚ de zài yòubiān.

Males on the left, females on the right.

HSK 4

她生了一个男孩。

Tā shēng le yí gè nánhái.

She gave birth to a baby boy.

HSK 6

男女平等。

Nán nǚ píngděng.

Gender equality.

Tips

culture

男 is composed of 田 (field) on top and 力 (strength) on the bottom - traditionally, men worked the fields with their strength.

Components

radical

田 tián

field

Field radical on top - the indexing semantic. Pictures a square plot divided into four quarters (the canonical Chinese field). Combined with 力 below, the image is a person exerting strength in the field - agricultural labour, traditionally the male role in early agrarian society. Hence 男 = male.

semantic

力 lì

strength; power

Strength radical below - pictures a flexed arm or a plough handle. Adds the physical-labour element to the field above. One of the cleanest compound-ideograph stories in the script: field + strength = the one who works the field.