full; to fill; fully
HSK level
满 is written with 13 strokes. The animation replays automatically.
满 (mǎn) is a versatile word that most often works as an adjective meaning 'full' or 'filled to capacity' (a full cup, a packed bus).
It also functions as a verb, 'to fill' or 'to reach/complete' a set amount, and as an adverb meaning 'fully,' 'completely,' or 'entirely' — as in 满意 (satisfied) or 满头大汗 (a head fully covered in sweat). A key difference from English 'full': 满 emphasizes reaching a limit or covering a whole surface, so it appears where English uses 'all over,' 'the whole,' or 'reach' — 满地都是水 means 'water all over the floor,' and 满十八岁 means 'to turn (a full) eighteen.' It also carries a positive nuance of completeness and satisfaction, which is why it forms words like 满足 (content), 圆满 (perfectly complete), and 美满 (happy and harmonious).
杯子里的水满了。
Bēizi lǐ de shuǐ mǎn le.
The cup is full of water.
spoken
对不起，今天的房间都满了。
Duìbuqǐ, jīntiān de fángjiān dōu mǎn le.
Sorry, all the rooms are booked for today.
neutral
他满脸都是笑容。
Tā mǎn liǎn dōu shì xiàoróng.
His whole face was covered in smiles.
written
他刚满二十岁。
Tā gāng mǎn èrshí suì.
He just turned twenty.
neutral
全 means 'whole / all / entirely' and modifies a set as complete. 满 emphasizes being filled to capacity or covering a surface. 全班 is 'the whole class'; 满班 would sound wrong — use 满 for containers and coverage, 全 for entireties.
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