然 rán however
How to remember 然: ⿰𱼀犬 dog food + 灬 fire = however. The camper opens a can of dog food by mistake and heats it over the fire, and it tastes good, however strange that sounds.
Component breakdown
然 = ⿰𱼀犬 dog food + 灬 fire
- ⿰𱼀犬 dog food
- 灬 fire
The camper opens a can of dog food by mistake and heats it over the fire, and it tastes good, however strange that sounds.
How it came to be
A dog beside a cut of flesh, set over fire: meat being burned. The shape was borrowed for the word so, as in it is so, which is how you say certainly.
How it is used
- A connective-building char: 虽然 (suīrán) although, 然后 (ránhòu) then/afterwards, 当然 (dāngrán) of course.
- Signals surprise or manner too - 突然 (tūrán) suddenly, 竟然 (jìngrán) unexpectedly. Rarely a standalone word; it's the suffix that turns a root into an adverb/conjunction.
Characters built with 然
Words with 然
- 虽然suīránalthoughHSK 2
- 然后ránhòuthenHSK 3
- 当然dāngránof courseHSK 3
- 突然tūránsuddenlyHSK 3
- 仍然réngránstillHSK 4
- 既然jìránsinceHSK 4
- 自然zìránnatureHSK 4
- 竟然jìngránunexpectedlyHSK 4
- 然而rán'érhoweverHSK 4
- 大自然dàzìránnature (the natural world)HSK 4
- 忽然hūránsuddenlyHSK 4
- 不然bùránnot soHSK 5
- 依然yīránstillHSK 5
- 偶然ǒuránincidentallyHSK 5
- 居然jūránunexpectedlyHSK 5
- 必然bìráninevitableHSK 5
- 显然xiǎnránclearlyHSK 5
- 果然guǒránreallyHSK 5
- 天然tiānránnaturalHSK 6
- 天然气tiānránqìnatural gasHSK 6
- 一目了然yímù-liǎoránobvious at a glance (idiom)HSK 7
- 不以为然bùyǐwéiránnot to accept as correct (idiom)HSK 7
- 公然gōngránopenlyHSK 7
- 断然duànránresoluteHSK 7
- 理所当然lǐsuǒdāngránas it should be by rights (idiom)HSK 7
- 自然界zìránjiènatureHSK 7
- 自然而然zìrán’érráninvoluntaryHSK 7
- 顺其自然shùnqízìránto let nature take its course (idiom)HSK 7
- 哗然huáránin uproarHSK 8
- 固然gùránadmittedly (it's true that...)HSK 8
- 坦然tǎnráncalmHSK 8
- 怡然自得yírán-zìdéhappy and content (idiom)HSK 8
- 恍然大悟huǎngrán-dàwùto suddenly realizeHSK 8
- 截然不同jiérán-bùtóngentirely differentHSK 8
- 毅然yìránfirmlyHSK 9
- 漠然mòránindifferentHSK 9
- 焕然一新huànrán-yìxīnto look completely new (idiom)HSK 9
- 猛然měngránsuddenlyHSK 9
- 纵然zòngráneven ifHSK 9
- 茫然mángránblanklyHSK 9
Example sentences
- 先洗手，然后吃饭。 Xiān xǐshǒu, ránhòu chīfàn.Wash your hands before you eat.
- 当然可以！ Dāngrán kěyǐ!Of course it's okay!
- 他来了，然而又走了。 Tā lái le, rán'ér yòu zǒu le.He came but then left.
- 我突然有种奇怪的感觉。 Wǒ tūrán yǒu zhǒng qíguài de gǎnjué.I suddenly had a strange feeling.