难
difficult; hard
nán
What does 难 mean?
难 (nán) is the adjective for 'difficult' or 'hard' — describing tasks, problems, languages, or any challenge. 中文很难 = 'Chinese is hard.' Like other Chinese adjectives, it almost always takes a degree word before it: 很难 ('very hard'), 太难 ('too hard'), 不难 ('not hard'). Two patterns are worth learning. First, 难 + verb forms productive compounds meaning 'hard to do': 难吃 ('hard to eat,' i.e. taste bad), 难看 ('hard to look at,' i.
e. ugly), 难听 ('hard to listen to,' i.e. ugly-sounding), 难懂 ('hard to understand'). Second, 难 also serves as a verb meaning 'to make difficult / to trouble' in formal contexts, but learners mainly need it as the everyday adjective. The opposite is 容易 (róngyì, 'easy'). Note: when 难 means 'calamity / disaster' (灾难)
Character breakdown
difficult; hard
Memory hook: Think of the 又 (hand) on the left and 隹 (short-tailed bird) on the right — even a hand can't easily grasp a small bird. That's 难.
Example sentences
学中文很难。
Xué Zhōngwén hěn nán.
Learning Chinese is very difficult.
spoken
这道题太难了，我不会做。
Zhè dào tí tài nán le, wǒ bú huì zuò.
This problem is too hard; I can't do it.
spoken
这家饭店的菜很难吃。
Zhè jiā fàndiàn de cài hěn nánchī.
The food at this restaurant tastes bad.
spoken
找到一份好工作不太难。
Zhǎodào yí fèn hǎo gōngzuò bú tài nán.
Finding a good job isn't too hard.
neutral
这首歌不难，你也会唱。
Zhè shǒu gē bù nán, nǐ yě huì chàng.
This song isn't hard; you can sing it too.
spoken
Common phrases with 难
Synonyms
困难 is the noun 'difficulty / hardship' and a more formal adjective meaning 'difficult.' 难 is the everyday adjective in speech; 困难 sounds more written or weighty. 遇到困难 = 'encounter difficulties'; 这道题很难 = 'this problem is hard.'
Don't confuse 难 with
南 (nán) is 'south,' the direction. 难 (nán) is 'difficult.' Same pronunciation but completely different characters and meanings — context usually makes it obvious.