念 (niàn): to read, to think of
念 (niàn) is a Chinese character meaning “to read, to think of.” Classified as HSK Level 5 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 今 (structural) and 心 (structural). It ranks #477 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 念 to keep the present 今 in mind 心. Its radical form 心 (heart) appears in many related characters such as 忘 (wàng, to forget), 想 (xiǎng, to think, to want), 爱 (ài, to love).
Definitions
- to read, to think of
Etymology & Origin
ideographicTo keep the present 今 in mind 心
Decomposition: ⿱今心 (layout: top-bottom)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 念 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 念
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 想念verb | xiǎng niàn | to miss | 5 |
| 纪念verb/noun | jì niàn | to commemorate | 5 |
| 怀念verb | huái niàn | to cherish the memory of | 6 |
| 信念noun | xìn niàn | faith | 6 |
| 概念noun | gài niàn | concept | 5 |
| 纪念日noun | jì niàn rì | day of commemoration | 5 |
| 观念noun | guān niàn | notion | 5 |
| 理念noun | lǐ niàn | idea | 6 |
| 思念verb | sī niàn | to think of | 6 |
| 念书verb | niàn shū | to read | 6 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 念头 | niàn tou | thought |
| 纪念品 | jì niàn pǐn | souvenir |
| 意念 | yì niàn | idea |
| 悼念 | dào niàn | to grieve |
| 纪念碑 | jì niàn bēi | monument |
| 悬念 | xuán niàn | suspense in a movie, play etc |
| 念叨 | niàn dao | to talk about often |
| 挂念 | guà niàn | to feel anxious about |
| 念念不忘 | niàn niàn bù wàng | to keep in mind constantly (idiom) |
| 杂念 | zá niàn | distracting thoughts |
| 纪念馆 | jì niàn guǎn | memorial hall |
| 留念 | liú niàn | to keep as a souvenir |
| 纪念册 | jì niàn cè | commemorative album |
| 念珠 | niàn zhū | prayer beads |
| 转念 | zhuǎn niàn | to have second thoughts about sth |
念 appears in 100 compound words: 18 as the first character, 54 as the last, and 28 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 念 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (8)
to mutter incantations or sutras; to mumble to oneself; to talk to oneself continuously
to mutter incantations or sutras; to mumble to oneself; to talk to oneself continuously
Example Sentences
虽然身在国外，但我时常想念家乡的亲人和朋友。
Suīrán shēn zài guówài, dàn wǒ shícháng xiǎngniàn jiāxiāng de qīnrén hé péngyou.
Although I'm abroad, I often miss my relatives and friends back home.
...送“小强标本”引热议 台北动物园:限量纪念品
. . . sòng xiǎo qiáng biāo běn yǐn rè yì tái běi dòng wù yuán : xiàn liàng jì niàn pǐn
... Sending "Xiaoqiang specimens" sparked heated discussions Taipei Zoo: limited souvenirs
...点一成不变旅客难免生厌 盼做到乐而忘返、念念不忘
. . . diǎn yī chéng bù biàn lǚ kè nán miǎn shēng yàn pàn zuò dào lè ér wàng fǎn , niàn niàn bù wàng
... Passengers will inevitably get tired of it, and they will never forget it
存储概念股普涨 西部数据(WDC.US)涨逾3%
cún chǔ gài niàn gǔ pǔ zhǎng xī bù shǔ jù ( W D C . U S ) zhǎng yú 3
Storage concept stocks rose across Western Digital (WDC. US) rose more than 3%
美股盘前,白银概念股走强,泛美白银涨4.6%
měi gǔ pán qián , bái yín gài niàn gǔ zǒu qiáng , fàn měi bái yín zhǎng .
U.S. stocks pre-market, silver concept stocks stronger, pan-American silver rose 4.6%
你知不知道思念的滋味？
Nǐ zhībùzhīdào sīniàn de zīwèi?
Do you know the taste of thought?
打消这种幼稚的念头吧。
Dǎxiāo zhèzhǒng yòuzhì de niàntou ba.
Get rid of those kinds of naive ideas.
人拥有得愈多，贪念就愈大。
Rén yōngyǒu de yù duō, tānniàn jiù yù dà.
The more we have, the greater our desire will be.
我很怀念我的童年。
Wǒ hěn huáiniàn wǒ de tóngnián.
I think fondly of my childhood.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
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Is 念 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
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