What does 面 mean in Chinese?

面 (miàn) means "face, side" in Chinese. The new HSK exam expects you to recognise it at HSK 1.

How do you write 面?

面 is written with 9 strokes, starting from the 面 (face) 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 面?

The radical of 面 is 面 (face, Kangxi radical #176).

How many strokes does 面 have?

The Chinese character 面 has 9 strokes.

What HSK level is 面?

On the new HSK exam syllabus, 面 is a character to recognise at HSK 1.

面 (miàn): Meaning, Stroke Order, Radical & Examples

面

miàn

face, side

HSK 1 character 9 strokes Radical: 面 (face)

Quick Answer

面 (miàn) means "face, side" with 9 strokes, radical 面 (face), HSK 1 on the new exam.

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

Pronunciation

miàn

Meaning

Primary: face

Other meanings:

side

Etymology

Oracle-bone origin

The oracle-bone form shows a human face in outline with a single prominent eye (目) centered inside. The outer frame represented the contour of the face, while the eye marked the most salient feature. This makes 面 one of the clearer pictographs for a body part in the early corpus.

Form evolution

From oracle bone through bronze script, the outer facial outline and inner eye remained recognisable. Seal script regularised the outline into a rectangular frame with 目 inside. Clerical script flattened and squared the strokes, and modern kaishu 面 retains the enclosing frame, though the inner element no longer reads transparently as an eye. The simplified form also absorbed the traditional 麵 (wheat flour), collapsing two historically distinct characters into one shape.

How the meaning evolved

The original meaning was 'face' in the literal anatomical sense. It extended by metaphor to 'surface', 'side', and 'facing toward' (as in 面向), then to abstract senses like 'aspect' or 'facet'. The flour/noodle meaning is etymologically separate: it belongs to traditional 麵, which the PRC simplification merged into 面 because the two were near-homophones.

Cultural note

The compound 面子 (social face, reputation) preserves the original anatomical sense extended into the core Chinese concept of public honor. Learners often miss that 面条 (noodles) and 面孔 (face) share a written form only because of 20th-century simplification, not because of any ancient link.

Mnemonic

A face with features inside a frame

Basic info

Pinyin	miàn
Meanings	face, side
Stroke count	9 strokes
Radical	面 (#176: face)
New HSK exam	Recognise at HSK 1
Frequency	#29 most common

Example sentences

前面有人。
Qiánmiàn yǒu rén.
There's someone ahead.
From 面 (HSK 2)
前面有商店。
Qiánmiàn yǒu shāngdiàn.
There's a store ahead.
From 前面 (HSK 2)
后面是学校。
Hòumiàn shì xuéxiào.
Behind is the school.
From 后面 (HSK 2)

Words containing 面

Word	Pinyin	Meaning	HSK
面	miàn	face, side	HSK 2
前面	qiánmiàn	front	HSK 2
后面	hòumiàn	behind	HSK 2
里面	lǐmiàn	inside	HSK 2
面条	miàntiáo	noodles
见面	jiànmiàn	meet	HSK 3
面包	miànbāo	Bread	HSK 1
对面	duìmiàn	Opposite side	HSK 4
方面	fāngmiàn	Aspect	HSK 4
表面	biǎomiàn	surface	HSK 5
面对	miànduì	Face	HSK 4
面临	miànlín	face	HSK 5
片面	piànmiàn	one-sided	HSK 6
面积	miànjī	The measure of area	HSK 5
全面	quánmiàn	comprehensive	HSK 5
侧面	cèmiàn	side, flank	HSK 7-9
场面	chǎngmiàn	scene, occasion	HSK 6
出面	chūmiàn	to act, to come forward	HSK 7-9
当面	dāngmiàn	to sb's face, in sb's presence	HSK 6

Related characters

Don't confuse with

而

面 (miàn) ≠ 而 (ér), and

西

面 (miàn) ≠ 西 (xī), west

Similar meaning (body)

发to send 手hand 体头口mouth 身耳ear 眼eye

On the new HSK 1 exam

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

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Frequently Asked Questions

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Reviewed by RJ Murray, Founder, HSK Lord.