晚 (wǎn) is a Chinese character meaning “evening”. It is written from 日 (sun; day) and 免 (to avoid; to exempt), side by side, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “evening; late”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
日 + 免
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字: 晚，莫也。从日免声。现代字形经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数据核验（日4画 + 免7画 = 11画）
Memory aid
When the sun (日) is let off (免) from work for the day, it is evening — and getting late.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 晚上wǎn shangevening; in the evening晚 = wǎn
- 今晚jīn wǎntonight; this evening晚 = wǎn
- 悔之晚矣huǐ zhī wǎn yǐtoo late to regret it now晚 = wǎnspoken ashuǐ zhī wán yǐ
Go deeper
All readings
evening; late
evening; night; late (in time); later; junior (in generation)
太阳落山的时候，晚上；时间靠后的，迟。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 晚上wǎn shangevening; in the evening晚 = wǎn
- 今晚jīn wǎntonight; this evening晚 = wǎn
- 悔之晚矣huǐ zhī wǎn yǐtoo late to regret it now晚 = wǎnspoken ashuǐ zhī wán yǐ
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 晚 mean?
晚 (wǎn) means evening; night; late (in time); later; junior (in generation).
How do you pronounce 晚?
It is pronounced wǎn.
What parts is 晚 made of?
日 (sun; day) and 免 (to avoid; to exempt), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字: 晚，莫也。从日免声。现代字形经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数据核验（日4画 + 免7画 = 11画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 晚 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 晚?
日. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 晚?
Common ones are 晚上 and 今晚. The reading of 晚 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.