面 (miàn) is a Chinese character meaning “face”. It is written from 一 (one) and 丿 (left-falling stroke) and 冂 (down box) and 目 (eye), and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “face; surface; side”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
一 + 丿 + 冂 + 目
Overlapping structure
Structure from: hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（现代字形拆分：第 1 笔为「一」，第 2 笔为「丿」，第 3、4 笔构成「冂」的左竖与横折，第 5–9 笔构成框内的「目」形，顶线与「冂」共用）
Memory aid
A flat line (一) with a short slant (丿) under it, then a frame (冂) with an eye (目) inside it. A head seen straight on, eye and all — that is a face.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 面条miàn tiáonoodles面 = miàn
- 见面jiàn miànto meet face to face面 = miàn
- 下面xià miànbelow; underneath面 = miàn
- 侧面cè miànthe side; a profile view面 = miàn
- 面包miàn bāobread面 = miàn
- 面孔miàn kǒngface面 = miàn
- 面纱miàn shāveil面 = miàn
- 封面fēng miànfront cover (of a book or magazine)面 = miàn
- 揉面róu miànto knead dough面 = miàn
- 面临miàn línto face; to be confronted with面 = miàn
- 面粉miàn fěnflour (wheat flour)面 = miàn
- 面面俱到miàn miàn jù dàoto attend to every aspect; thorough in every respect面 = miàn
Go deeper
All readings
face; side
face; surface; side; aspect; also flour and noodles
头的前部；物体的表面或一边；也指面粉、面条。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 面条miàn tiáonoodles面 = miàn
- 见面jiàn miànto meet face to face面 = miàn
- 下面xià miànbelow; underneath面 = miàn
- 侧面cè miànthe side; a profile view面 = miàn
- 面包miàn bāobread面 = miàn
- 面孔miàn kǒngface面 = miàn
- 面纱miàn shāveil面 = miàn
- 封面fēng miànfront cover (of a book or magazine)面 = miàn
- 揉面róu miànto knead dough面 = miàn
- 面临miàn línto face; to be confronted with面 = miàn
- 面粉miàn fěnflour (wheat flour)面 = miàn
- 面面俱到miàn miàn jù dàoto attend to every aspect; thorough in every respect面 = miàn
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 面 mean?
面 (miàn) means face; surface; side; aspect; also flour and noodles.
How do you pronounce 面?
It is pronounced miàn.
What parts is 面 made of?
一 (one) and 丿 (left-falling stroke) and 冂 (down box) and 目 (eye). The recorded source is: hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（现代字形拆分：第 1 笔为「一」，第 2 笔为「丿」，第 3、4 笔构成「冂」的左竖与横折，第 5–9 笔构成框内的「目」形，顶线与「冂」共用）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 面 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 面?
面. 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 面?
Common ones are 面条 and 见面. The reading of 面 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.