nán

(bound form) male

baron, the lowest of the five ranks of nobility 五等爵位[wu3 deng3 jue2 wei4]

field (田) + strength (力) = male

In agrarian China, the man was the one who brought physical strength to the fields. The image is direct: a field above, a flexed muscle below.

+
StrengthSemantic
FieldSemantic

这个班里生比女生多。

zhè ge bān lǐ nán shēng bǐ nǚ shēng duō。

In this class there are more male students than female students.

他们家三个孩子,两个孩,一个女孩。

tā men jiā sān ge hái zi, liǎng ge nán hái, yī ge nǚ hái。

Their family has three children — two boys and one girl.

Words with 男

弯男

wān nán

gay guy

遗男

yí nán

orphan

重男轻女

zhòng nán qīng nǚ

to value males and attach less importance to females (idiom)

金正男

jīn zhèng nán

Kim Jong-nam (1971-2017), the eldest son of Kim Jong-il 金正日[Jin1 Zheng4 ri4]

长男

zhǎng nán

eldest son

阅男无数

yuè nán wú shù

(idiom) to have had relationships with many men

阿尔法男

ā ěr fǎ nán

alpha male

凤凰男

fèng huáng nán

(Internet slang) guy who grew up in the countryside and gained a foothold in the city through hard work

龟男

guī nán

(slang) man who grovels to a woman; man who accepts a subordinate or exploitative role in hopes of her approval

一男半女

yī nán bàn nǚ

(idiom) a son or daughter; a child

乱搞男女关系

luàn gǎo nán nǚ guān xì

to be promiscuous

前男友

qián nán yǒu

ex-boyfriend

More characters with 田