半年
HSK 1 (2021)
半年 (bànnián) · half a year
半年 (bànnián) means “half a year”. It is written with 2 characters: 半 (half) + 年 (year). It is an HSK 1 word in the 2021 standard.
How 半年 is built
The characters
半 bàn · half
What 半 is made of
- 丷ha — kwukyel
- 丶 — dot
- 牛niú — ox
Origin hint: A cow 牛 splitting 丷 wood in half (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
年 nián · year
What 年 is made of
- 干gàn — dry (gān)
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 十 — ten
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 丨 — vertical stroke
Origin hint: A man 干 carrying grain, representing the annual harvest (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
Example sentences
他在北京住了半年。Tā zài Běijīng zhù le bànnián.He lived in Beijing for half a year.
你学了半年汉语吗？Nǐ xué le bànnián Hànyǔ ma?Have you studied Chinese for half a year?
Questions about 半年
What does 半年 mean?
半年 (bànnián) means “half a year”.
How do you pronounce 半年?
半年 is pronounced bànnián.
Which HSK level is 半年?
半年 is in HSK 1 (2021).
Related words
- 半天bàntiānhalf a day
- 一半yībànhalf
- 半夜bànyèmidnight
- 半途而废bàntú'érfèito give up halfway
- 半bànhalf
- 今年jīnniánthis year
- 明年míngniánnext year
- 去年qùniánlast year
- 新年xīnniánNew Year
- 过年guòniánto celebrate the Chinese New Year
Learn 半年 with its group
It is part of HSK 1 (2021) · Group 19: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.