蕃 (fān): foreign (non-Chinese), luxuriant
蕃 (fān) is a Chinese character meaning “foreign (non-chinese).” Outside the HSK 3.0 syllabus (CLEC 2022), it is composed of 艹 (semantic) and 番 (phonetic). It ranks #3728 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 蕃 grass. Its radical form 艹 (grass) appears in many related characters such as 蒸 (zhēng, to steam), 草 (cǎo, grass), 花 (huā, flower).
Definitions
- foreign (non-Chinese)
- luxuriant
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 蕃 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 蕃茄 | fān qié | variant of 番茄 |
| 吐蕃王朝 | tǔ bō wáng cháo | Tibetan Tubo Dynasty 7th-11th century AD |
| 吐蕃proper-noun | tǔ bō | Tubo or Tufan, old name for Tibet |
| 蕃庑 | fán wú | variant of 繁蕪|繁芜 |
| 蕃衍 | fán yǎn | variant of 繁衍 |
蕃 appears in 5 compound words: 60 as the first character, 20 as the last, and 20 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Example Sentences
学习蕃字需要反复练习,才能写得工整。
xué xí fān zì xū yāo fǎn fù liàn xí , cái néng xiě dé gōng zhěng .
Learning Tibetan script requires repeated practice to write it neatly.
安史之乱爆发后,河西走廊被吐蕃势力切断,安西、北庭都护府将士与中原朝廷音讯隔绝。
ān shǐ zhī luàn bào fā hòu , hé xī zǒu láng bèi tǔ fān shì lì qiē duàn , ān xī , běi tíng dōu hù fǔ jiāng shì yǔ zhōng yuán cháo tíng yīn xùn gé jué .
After the An Lushan Rebellion broke out, the Hexi Corridor was cut off by Tibetan forces, and the soldiers and officials of the Anxi and Beiting Protectorates were cut off from communication with the central court.
他走的路线是从咸阳出发,还是从陇西郡集结,沿唐蕃古道西进?
tā zǒu de lù xiàn shì cóng xián yáng chū fā , hái shì cóng 陇 xī jùn jí jié , yán táng fān gǔ dào xī jìn ?
Did he set out from Xianyang, or did he gather his forces in Longxi Commandery and head west along the Ancient Tang-Tibet Road?
高雄小货车掉落一箱蕃茄 一群机车闪过但仍酿女子压到摔车
gāo xióng xiǎo huò chē diào luò yī xiāng fān jiā yī qún jī chē shǎn guò dàn réng niàng nǚ zǐ yā dào shuāi chē
A box of tomatoes fell from a small truck in Kaohsiung; a group of motorcyclists swerved to avoid it, but a woman was still struck and fell from her bike.
Character Family
Homophones — Characters pronounced fān
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 蕃 (fān) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 蕃 and 潘?
How many strokes does 蕃 have?
What is the radical of 蕃?
What are the components of 蕃?
What are common words containing 蕃?
What characters sound the same as 蕃 (fān)?
Is 蕃 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 蕃 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear spoken pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.