番 (fān): time, foreign
番 (fān) is a Chinese character meaning “time, foreign.” Classified as HSK Level 5 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 米 (structural) and 田 (structural). It ranks #1443 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 番 sowing seeds 米 on the farm 田. Its radical form 田 (field) appears in many related characters such as 电 (diàn, lightning), 男 (nán, male), 由 (yóu, to follow).
Definitions
- time, foreign
Etymology & Origin
ideographicSowing seeds 米 on the farm 田
Stroke Order
Practice writing 番 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 番
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 番茄酱noun | fān qié jiàng | ketchup |
| 翻番verb | fān fān | to double |
| 轮番adverb | lún fān | in turn |
| 番木瓜noun | fān mù guā | papaya |
| 番号noun | fān hào | number of military unit |
| 三番五次phrase | sān fān wǔ cì | over and over again (idiom) |
| 西番莲noun | xī fān lián | passion flower |
| 番薯noun | fān shǔ | (dialect) sweet potato |
| 吐鲁番proper-noun | tǔ lǔ fān | see 吐魯番市|吐鲁番市 |
| 番椒noun | fān jiāo | hot pepper |
| 三番两次phrase | sān fān liǎng cì | repeatedly (idiom) |
| 几次三番 | jǐ cì sān fān | lit. twice then three times (idiom) |
| 生番noun | shēng fān | barbarian |
| 丢番图方程noun | diū fān tú fāng chéng | (math.) Diophantine equation |
| 里番noun | lǐ fān | erotic anime |
番 appears in 48 compound words: 52 as the first character, 21 as the last, and 27 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 番 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (5)
lit. twice then three times (idiom); fig. repeatedly; over and over again
Example Sentences
经过一番讨论，大家终于达成了共识。
Jīngguò yì fān tǎolùn, dàjiā zhōngyú dáchéng le gòngshí.
After a round of discussion, everyone finally reached a consensus.
...拘两男检$340万毒 外籍男厨师租酒店房番枧藏毒
. . . jū liǎng nán jiǎn 3 4 0 wàn dú wài jí nán chú shī zū jiǔ diàn fáng fān 枧 zàng dú
...Two men arrested with $3.4 million worth of drugs; foreign chef rented a hotel room to hide the drugs
行李内茶叶藏氯胺酮 酒店内番枧藏冰毒 海关拘两男检340万元货
háng lǐ nèi chá xié zàng lǜ 胺 酮 jiǔ diàn nèi fān 枧 zàng bīng dú hǎi guān jū liǎng nán jiǎn 3 4 0 wàn yuán huò
Ketamine Hidden in Tea Leaves in Luggage; Methamphetamine Hidden in Soap Bars at a Hotel; Customs Detains Two Men and Seizes Goods Worth 3.4 Million Yuan
新疆吐鲁番市托克逊县发生4.7级地震
xīn jiāng tǔ lǔ fān shì tuō kè xùn xiàn fā shēng 4 . 7 jí dì zhèn
A 4.7-magnitude earthquake struck Toksu County, Turpan City, Xinjiang
老牌番茄酱超单纯 大票喊“成分都看得懂”
lǎo pái fān jiā jiàng chāo dān chún dà piào hǎn chéng fēn dōu kàn dé dǒng
Long-standing ketchup brand keeps it simple; many fans say, "I can actually understand the ingredients."
新疆吐鲁番:赴一场杏花之约-国际在线
xīn jiāng tǔ lǔ fān : fù yī chǎng 杏 huā zhī yuē guó jì zài xiàn
Turpan, Xinjiang: A Date with the Apricot Blossoms - China Radio International
番茄容易遭受很多病害。
Fānqié róngyì zāoshòu hěn duō bìnghài.
The tomato is subject to a number of diseases.
我的三明治里有肉，奶酪和番茄。
Wǒ de sānmíngzhì lǐ yǒu ròu, nǎilào hé fānqié.
In my sandwich there is meat, cheese and tomatoes.
她在镜前停下脚步，自我欣赏了一番。
Tā zài jìng qián tíngxià jiǎobù, zìwǒ xīnshǎng le yī fān.
She stopped before the mirror to admire herself.
严格地讲,番茄是水果。
Yángé de jiǎng, fānqié shì shuǐguǒ.
Strictly speaking, the tomato is a fruit.
Character Family
田 Radical Family — Characters sharing the field radical
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 番 (fān) mean in Chinese?
How many strokes does 番 have?
What is the radical of 番?
What are the components of 番?
What are common words containing 番?
What characters sound the same as 番 (fān)?
Is 番 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 番 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear spoken pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.