今年
今present年year=this year
年
年 (nián) Chinese Character: year
One harvest cycle finishes, and another 年 begins.
Practice 年 in the interactive lessonChinese character story: A Harvest Marks a Year
年 (nián) is the everyday word for a year. Chinese often places a time word before the main action: 今年 means “this year,” 明年 means “next year,” and 去年 means “last year.” The harvest origin gives the character a natural memory path: crops grow, ripen, and return through another yearly cycle. In 新年快乐, “Happy New Year,” 年 names the new cycle that is beginning.
🧩 Word buildingSee what every part contributes
Chinese words often combine short meaning clues. Fixed expressions are clearly marked so you do not translate them too literally.
明年
明next in this word年year=next year
明年 is a fixed time word.
Chinese character origin and etymology
Historical explanations connect 年 with ripened grain and the completion of a harvest cycle. From one successful harvest, the character developed the time meaning “year.”
Six strokes cross through a strong center, creating the compact modern form 年. 年 works as one complete form rather than a puzzle made from smaller modern components. Learning its overall silhouette is useful because the same shape may later appear inside more complex characters.
Chinese character stroke order and structure
年 is written with 6 strokes. Learn the complete stroke sequence in the interactive lesson, then write the character from memory before checking your answer.
- 年 — year — learn the complete modern shape as one unit
Common usage and sentence patterns
The examples below show 年 in complete beginner-friendly sentences. Read each sentence aloud, notice where the character appears, and then replace one noun or number to create a new sentence of your own.
我今年十岁。
I am ten years old this year.
明年我们去中国。
We will go to China next year.
新年快乐！
Happy New Year!
How do you write “year” in Chinese?
The Chinese character for “year” is 年 (nián), written with 6 strokes and pronounced with the second, rising tone. Useful time words include 今年 (jīnnián), “this year”; 去年 (qùnián), “last year”; 明年 (míngnián), “next year”; and 新年 (xīnnián), “New Year.”
Use 年 for calendar years and lengths of time. To state a person’s age, Chinese normally uses 岁 (suì) instead. Continue with the Chinese time words guide to connect 年 with today, months, days, and times of day.
Learning tips for 年
Learn the reading as one unit: nián, with the second tone: rising. Avoid memorizing the letters without the tone mark. Say the syllable, recall the English meaning “year,” and write the 6 strokes from memory.
Because 年 is a basic form, focus on its proportions and stroke direction. Compare it with 日 (rì, day; sun); 月 (yuè, month; moon); 明 (míng, bright; next). Similar characters are easier to remember when their different parts and meanings are studied side by side.
Quick review checklist
- Can you recognize 年 without pinyin?
- Can you say nián with the correct tone and explain “year”?
- Can you write all 6 strokes in order?
- Can you use 年 in one short sentence?
Related characters
Learn 年 in a themed collection
Compare this character with related beginner words. A themed path helps you notice useful pairs, word-building patterns, and everyday contexts.
Continue learning Chinese characters
Use the Chinese radicals and components guide to understand reusable parts, the stroke order guide to improve handwriting, and the HSK 1 character overview to choose your next beginner lesson.
Sources and editorial note
HanziStory separates documented character history from modern memory stories. Historical-form images are shown only when a matching source file is available; missing stages are skipped rather than invented. Stroke practice uses HanziWriter data.
Last updated: August 16, 2026. Read our sources, editorial method, and correction policy.