难
难 (nán) means “difficult”. It is made of 又 + 隹 and has 10 strokes, and is an HSK 3 word in the current exam syllabus (2025).
Break 难 into its parts
What 难 is made of
- 又 yòu — and
- 隹 zhuī — short-tailed bird
- 亻 rén — person
Origin hint: A hand 又 trying to grasp at a bird 隹 (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
难 stroke order
Example sentences
汉语难不难？Hànyǔ nán bù nán?Is Chinese difficult?
这个字很难写。Zhège zì hěn nán xiě.This character is hard to write.
Words with 难
- 难过nánguòsad
- 难看nánkànugly
- 难受nánshòuto feel unwell
- 难题nántídifficult problem
- 难听nántīngunpleasant to hear
- 困难kùnnandifficulty
- 难道nándàocould it be that…?
- 难度nándùdifficulty
- 难免nánmiǎnhard to avoid
- 难怪nánguàino wonder
- 艰难jiānnándifficult
- 难得nándérare
- 难堪nánkānembarrassed
- 难能可贵nánnéngkěguìrare and commendable
- 为难wéinánto feel awkward
- 灾难zāinàndisaster
- 难忘nánwàngunforgettable
Also built with 又
- 丈zhànggentleman
- 仅jǐnonly
- 劝quànto advise
- 叉chāfork
- 及jíto extend
- 友yǒufriend
- 双shuāngpair
- 反fǎnreverse
- 发fāto send
- 叔shūuncle
- 取qǔto take
- 受shòuto receive
Quick facts
| Pinyin | nán |
|---|---|
| Meaning | difficult |
| Strokes | 10 |
| Radical | 又 (again, #29) |
| Pattern | Left–right |
| HSK | HSK 3 (exam 2025) · HSK 1 (2021) · Old HSK 3 |
Questions about 难
What does 难 mean?
难 (nán) means “difficult”.
How many strokes does 难 have?
难 has 10 strokes.
What is the radical of 难?
The radical of 难 is 又 (yòu, “again”), Kangxi radical number 29.
What parts make up 难?
难 is made of 又 (and) and 隹 (short-tailed bird).
Which HSK level is 难?
难 is in HSK 3 (exam 2025) and HSK 1 (2021) and Old HSK 3.
Learn 难 with its group
It is part of HSK 1 (2021) · Group 28: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.