念 (niàn): to read aloud; to recite

Meanings

1 to read aloud; to recite
2 to miss; to think of
3 to study (at a school)

Characters

念

niàn

to read aloud; to miss; to think of

Contains 今 (now) + 心 (heart) — what is on your heart right now.

Examples

请念一下这个句子。

Qǐng niàn yīxià zhège jùzi.

Please read this sentence aloud.

她很念家。

Tā hěn niàn jiā.

She misses home a lot.

他在北京念大学。

Tā zài Běijīng niàn dàxué.

He's studying at university in Beijing.

Tips

usage

念书 means 'to study/go to school,' 念大学 means 'to attend university.' This usage of 念 is interchangeable with 读.

usage

想念 (to miss someone) is a very common compound. 怀念 is more for nostalgic longing for the past.

Components

radical

心 xīn

heart; mind

Bottom heart radical, the indexing component (Kangxi 61). Marks 念 as a mental/emotional character: thoughts and longings live in the heart. Compared with 想 (think) which also uses 心, 念 is more about persistent or recited thought — missing someone, chanting, recollection. Same radical: 想, 思, 忘, 怒.

phonetic

今 jīn

now; present

Top 今 supplies the sound: jīn shifts to niàn with a phonetic-series drift typical for 今-phonetic chars. The 'present moment' meaning also fits semantically — to think of something is to hold it in the present mind. Same series: 含 (contain), 吟 (chant), 琴 (zither, all jin/yin readings).