弯 (wān): to bend, bent, a bend, a turn (in a road etc)
弯 (wān) is a Chinese character meaning “to bend.” Classified as HSK Level 5 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 亦 (structural) and 弓 (structural). It ranks #1650 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 弯 like 亦 a bow 弓. Its radical form 弓 (bow) appears in many related characters such as 弟 (dì, younger brother), 张 (zhāng, to open up), 强 (qiáng, stubborn).
Definitions
- to bend
- bent
- a bend
- a turn (in a road etc)
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 弯 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 弯
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 转弯 | zhuǎn wān | to turn |
| 弯腰 | wān yāo | to stoop |
| 拐弯抹角 | guǎi wān mò jiǎo | lit. going round the curves and skirting the corners (idiom) |
| 急转弯 | jí zhuǎn wān | to make a sudden turn |
| 臂弯 | bì wān | crook of the arm |
| 弯道 | wān dào | winding road |
| 绕弯子 | rào wān zi | lit. to go on a long detour |
| 弯路 | wān lù | winding road |
| 弯弯 | wān wān | Wan Wan (1981-), Taiwanese blogger and cartoonist |
| 弯弯曲曲 | wān wān qū qū | curved |
| 遛弯 | liù wān | (dialect) to take a walk |
| 弯子 | wān zi | bend |
| 走弯路 | zǒu wān lù | to take an indirect route |
| 绕弯儿 | rào wān r | to go for a walk around |
| 弯管面 | wān guǎn miàn | elbow pasta |
弯 appears in 44 compound words: 43 as the first character, 30 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 弯 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (6)
to twist and turn; to turn a corner here and there; to speak in a roundabout way; to beat around the bush
Showing 5 of 6 idioms containing 弯.
Example Sentences
这个弯字在古汉语中有不同的含义。
zhè gě wān zì zài gǔ hàn yǔ zhōng yǒu bù tóng de hán yì .
The character "弯" had different meanings in classical Chinese.
转弯碰撞 高雄公车去年21事故2死
zhuǎn wān pèng zhuàng gāo xióng gōng chē qù nián 2 1 shì gù 2 sǐ
Turning collision Kaohsiung bus 21 accidents and 2 deaths last year
【人生急转弯】林比比鸟/教官退伍后,他靠攀树翻转人生
rén shēng jí zhuǎn wān lín bǐ bǐ niǎo jiào guān tuì wǔ hòu , tā kào pān shù fān zhuǎn rén shēng
【A sharp turn in life】After Lin Bibi Bird/Instructor was discharged from the army, he turned his life around by climbing trees
南横公路惊传坠桥!骑士疑过弯失控撞护栏 坠17层楼深溪谷身亡
nán héng gōng lù jīng chuán zhuì qiáo ! qí shì yí guò wān shī kòng zhuàng hù lán zhuì 1 7 céng lóu shēn xī gǔ shēn wáng
Nanheng Highway is shocked to hear that it fell off the bridge! The rider lost control of the corner and crashed into the guardrail and fell into a 17-story deep ravine, killing him
川普关税政策急转弯 江启臣曝:交易才是目的!台湾要提升竞争...
chuān pǔ guān shuì zhèng cè jí zhuǎn wān jiāng qǐ chén pù : jiāo yì cái shì mù de ! tái wān yāo tí shēng jìng zhēng . . .
Trump's tariff policy took a sharp turn Jiang Qichen revealed: Trading is the goal! Taiwan wants to improve competition...
川普关税急转弯!曾劝行政院暂缓与美谈判 施俊吉:可惜未...
chuān pǔ guān shuì jí zhuǎn wān ! céng quàn háng zhèng yuàn zàn huǎn yǔ měi tán pàn shī jùn jí : kě xī wèi . . .
Trump tariffs take a sharp turn! He once advised the Executive Yuan to suspend negotiations with the United States Shi Junji: Unfortunately...
爱因斯坦预测太阳的引力会弯曲光线。
àiyīnsītǎn yùcè tàiyang de yǐnlì huì wānqū guāngxiàn.
Einstein predicted that the Sun's gravity would bend light.
汤姆弯下腰，捧起了一把沙子。
Tāngmǔ wān xià yāo, pěng qǐ le yī bǎ shāzi.
Tom bent down and picked up a handful of sand.
绿灯时，拐弯车要让人。
Lǜdēng shí, guǎiwān chē yào ràng rén.
When the light is green, cars turning must yield to pedestrians.
我不弯膝也能把手掌平放在地上。
Wǒ bù wān xī yě néng bǎshǒu zhǎng píng fàng zài dìshàng.
I can place the palms of my hands on the floor without bending my knees.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 弯 (wān) mean in Chinese?
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What are the components of 弯?
What are common words containing 弯?
What characters sound the same as 弯 (wān)?
Is 弯 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
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