嫩

嫰
nèn
女 + 敕
HSK 2.0Level 5
HSK 3.0Level 7

Definitions

nèn (adjective) tender; soft; delicate
nèn (adjective) light (color)
nèn (adjective) inexperienced; unskilled

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 女 represents the meaning and 敕 represents the sound. Simplified form of 嫰.

Semantic: 女 Phonetic: 敕

About

A phonosemantic compound, 嫩 combines the meaning radical 女 (woman) on the left, historically associated with softness and delicacy, with the phonetic component 敕 on the right. It is the simplified form of 嫰. The character describes things that are tender, soft, or delicate to the touch, such as young plant shoots, freshly cooked food, and youthful skin. Figuratively, it refers to inexperience or lack of maturity in a particular field.

Example Sentences Hide

这些青菜很嫩。

Zhè xiē qīngcài hěn nèn.

These green vegetables are very tender.

鸡肉要炒得嫩才好吃。

Jīròu yào chǎo dé nèn cái hǎochī.

Chicken needs to be stir-fried until tender to be tasty.

她的皮肤像婴儿一样嫩。

Tā de pífū xiàng yīng'ér yīyàng nèn.

Her skin is as delicate as a baby's.

春天来了，树上长出了嫩绿的叶子。

Chūntiān lái le, shù shàng zhǎng chū le nèn lǜ de yèzi.

Spring is here, and the trees are sprouting fresh green leaves.

一场春雨过后，草地上的嫩芽格外可爱。

Yì chǎng chūnyǔ guò hòu, cǎodì shàng de nèn yá géwài kě'ài.

After a spring rain, the tender sprouts on the lawn are especially adorable.

这道菜用的是非常鲜嫩的豆腐。

Zhè dào cài yòng de shì fēicháng xiānnèn de dòufu.

This dish uses extremely fresh and tender tofu.

别看他年纪轻，做事的手段可不嫩。

Bié kàn tā niánjì qīng, zuòshì de shǒuduàn kě bú nèn.

Don't underestimate him because he's young; his methods are far from inexperienced.

晨光中，那片沾着露水的嫩叶，嫩得仿佛能掐出水来。

Chénguāng zhōng, nà piàn zhān zhe lùshuǐ de nèn yè, nèn dé fǎngfú néng qiā chū shuǐ lái.

In the morning light, that dewy tender leaf looks so delicate it seems you could squeeze water out of it.

Related Characters

Component: 女

要 如 好 她 女 安 始 委 威 妈 姐 娘 妇 婚

Component: 敕

整 潄 遫

Example Words

稚嫩 嫩绿 嫩芽 娇嫩 柔嫩 白嫩 细嫩 装嫩 黎巴嫩 嫩江 嫩肉粉 嫩苗 嫩叶 细皮嫩肉