What does 年 mean in Chinese?

年 (nián) means "year" in Chinese. The new HSK exam expects you to recognise it at HSK 1.

How do you write 年?

年 is written with 6 strokes, starting from the 干 (dry) radical and following standard Chinese stroke order (top to bottom, left to right). See the interactive stroke-order tool for the full animation.

What is the radical of 年?

The radical of 年 is 干 (dry, Kangxi radical #51). Other common HSK characters using the same radical include 干.

How many strokes does 年 have?

The Chinese character 年 has 6 strokes.

What HSK level is 年?

On the new HSK exam syllabus, 年 is a character to recognise at HSK 1 and to write by hand at HSK 2 (the handwriting list HSK 1 and 2 share).

年 (nián): Meaning, Stroke Order, Radical & Examples

年

nián

year

HSK 1 character 6 strokes Radical: 干 (dry)

Quick Answer

年 (nián) means "year" with 6 strokes, radical 干 (dry), HSK 1 on the new exam.

Full dictionary entry for 年 →Animated stroke-order for 年 →

Pronunciation

nián

Meaning

Primary: year

Etymology

Oracle-bone origin

The oracle-bone form of 年 shows a person (人) carrying a stalk of grain (禾) on their back or head. It pictured the harvest, specifically a person bringing in the year's ripe crop. The original character was therefore 'harvest', and by extension the agricultural cycle that produced one harvest.

Form evolution

Bronze forms retain the clear 禾-over-人 composition. In seal script the two components are still visible but tightly fused. Clerical script is the breaking point: the 人 element was restructured and the strokes merged with 禾 in a way that obscured the original picture entirely. Regular script 年 shows no visible trace of either 禾 or 人 to a modern reader.

How the meaning evolved

Because each harvest marked one cycle of the seasons, 年 shifted from 'grain harvest' to 'one year' as a unit of time. This meaning was already dominant by the Zhou dynasty. The agricultural origin is now invisible in everyday usage, and modern speakers associate 年 purely with calendar years and age.

Cultural note

The agricultural root survives in the traditional greeting 年年有余 (may you have abundance every year), a New Year phrase where 年 still carries echoes of 'harvest'. Learners often assume 年 is a simple ideograph for time, but its pictographic origin is specifically agrarian, tying the Chinese concept of 'year' to the grain cycle rather than to astronomical observation.

Mnemonic

Grain ripens once per harvest cycle — a year

Basic info

Pinyin	nián
Meanings	year
Stroke count	6 strokes
Radical	干 (#51: dry)
New HSK exam	Recognise at HSK 1, write by hand at HSK 1-2
Frequency	#157 most common

Example sentences

今年很冷。
Jīnnián hěn lěng.
This year is very cold.
From 年 (HSK 1)
去年我学习汉语。
Qùnián wǒ xuéxí hànyǔ.
Last year I studied Chinese.
From 去年 (HSK 1)
他很年轻。
Tā hěn niánqīng.
He is very young.
From 年轻 (HSK 3)

Words containing 年

Word	Pinyin	Meaning	HSK
年	nián	year	HSK 1
去年	qùnián	last year	HSK 1
年级	niánjí	grade	HSK 3
年轻	niánqīng	Young	HSK 3
年龄	niánlíng	Age	HSK 4
年代	niándài	years	HSK 5
年纪	niánjì	Age	HSK 5
青少年	qīngshàonián	Teenagers
拜年	bàinián	to pay a New Year call	HSK 6
常年	chángnián	all year round	HSK 6
成年	chéngnián	to grow up, adult	HSK 5

Related characters

Don't confuse with

午

年 (nián) ≠ 午

牛

年 (nián) ≠ 牛

Share the 干 (dry) radical

干gān

See all characters with the 干 radical →

Similar meaning (time)

时time 明tomorrow 日day 期初at first 今today 候春spring

On the new HSK 1 exam

Studying for HSK 1? Keep 年 with the rest of your level.

HSK Lord schedules your reviews so each character comes back right before you would forget it. Free to start, and it picks up where you are.

Start studying free The words new HSK 1 adds

Frequently Asked Questions

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Reviewed by RJ Murray, Founder, HSK Lord.