HSK Guide

年 nián — year

nián (second tone, rising)nian2

year

HSK 1· HSK 1–4 (classic)Level 1· Three-band, nine-level standardnounmeasure
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Meanings

  1. year

    A year. It is its own measure word, so a number attaches directly: 一年, 三年. Calendar years are read digit by digit — 2026 is 二〇二六年.

    measure

Character breakdown

  • 年
    nián (second tone, rising)

    year; age, years of a person’s life; the annual harvest (original sense)

    6 strokesRadical 干

Example sentences

  • 他在中国住了三年。他在中國住了三年。Tā (first tone, high and level) zài (fourth tone, falling) Zhōngguó (first tone, high and level) zhùle (fourth tone, falling) sān (first tone, high and level) nián. (second tone, rising)···

    He lived in China for three years.

  • 一年有十二个月。一年有十二個月。Yì (fourth tone, falling) nián (second tone, rising) yǒu (third tone, dipping) shí (second tone, rising) èr (fourth tone, falling) ge (neutral tone) yuè. (fourth tone, falling)···

    There are twelve months in a year.

Similar words

Words containing 年