How common it is
男 appears often in everyday Chinese, so it is worth practicing early and reviewing often.
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Pronunciation focus
Say nán slowly first, then repeat it in a short phrase. Listen for the tone shape.
Usage note
男可以表示男孩子、男人或男性。这个字常和男生、男孩一起出现。
nán kě yǐ biǎo shì nán hái zi 、 nán rén huò nán xìng。 zhè ge zì cháng hé nán shēng 、 nán hái yì qǐ chū xiàn。
男 can mean boy, man, or male. It often appears in words like 男生 and 男孩.
Context note
男常出现在学校、介绍人物和日常对话里。
nán cháng chū xiàn zài xué xiào 、 jiè shào rén wù hé rì cháng duì huà lǐ。
男 often appears in school talk, people descriptions, and everyday conversation.
5 examples
这个男孩子很高。
zhè ge nán hái zi hěn gāo。
This boy is very tall.
班上有三个男生。
bān shàng yǒu sān gè nán shēng。
There are three boys in the class.
我的弟弟是男孩。
wǒ de dì di shì nán hái。
My younger brother is a boy.
那位男老师很认真。
nà wèi nán lǎo shī hěn rèn zhēn。
That male teacher is very serious.
字卡上写着男。
zì kǎ shàng xiě zhe nán。
The flashcard shows the character 男.
5 mini stories
今天班里来了一个男生。他坐在第一排。
jīn tiān bān lǐ lái le yí gè nán shēng。 tā zuò zài dì yī pái。
Today a boy came to class. He sat in the first row.
公园里有一个男孩子在放风筝。风筝飞得很高。
gōng yuán lǐ yǒu yí gè nán hái zi zài fàng fēng zheng。 fēng zheng fēi dé hěn gāo。
There is a boy flying a kite in the park. The kite is flying very high.
这位男老师很温和。孩子们都喜欢上他的课。
zhè wèi nán lǎo shī hěn wēn hé。 hái zi men dōu xǐ huan shàng tā de kè。
This male teacher is very gentle. The children all like his class.
我问妈妈谁是男孩。妈妈指着弟弟笑了。
wǒ wèn mā ma shuí shì nán hái。 mā ma zhǐ zhe dì di xiào le。
I asked Mom who the boy was. Mom pointed at my younger brother and smiled.
字卡上写着男。我们一起把这个字读了三遍。
zì kǎ shàng xiě zhe nán。 wǒ men yì qǐ bǎ zhè ge zì dú le sān biàn。
The flashcard says 男. We read this character three times together.