男 (nán) is a Chinese character meaning “male”. It is written from 田 (field; farmland) and 力 (strength; power), one above the other, and takes 7 strokes.
Build the character for “male; man”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
田 + 力
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 说文解字: 男，丈夫也。从田从力。言男用力於田也
Memory aid
A field (田) with strength (力) working under it. Both parts are really in this character — remember it as the one who puts muscle into the field.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 男人nán rénman; adult male男 = nán
- 男子nán zǐman; male男 = nán
- 男性nán xìngmale; man; the male sex男 = nán
Go deeper
All readings
male
male; man; son
男性的；男人。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 男人nán rénman; adult male男 = nán
- 男子nán zǐman; male男 = nán
- 男性nán xìngmale; man; the male sex男 = nán
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 男 mean?
男 (nán) means male; man; son.
How do you pronounce 男?
It is pronounced nán.
What parts is 男 made of?
田 (field; farmland) and 力 (strength; power), one above the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字: 男，丈夫也。从田从力。言男用力於田也. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 男 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 男?
田. 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 男?
Common ones are 男人 and 男子. The reading of 男 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.