闹

閙/鬧

nào

市 + 门

HSK 3.0Level 5

Definitions

nào (adjective,verb) noisy; make noise; disturb

nào (verb) to vent (feelings)

nào (verb) to have an attack (of illness)

Etymology

Simplified form of 鬧. Markets (市) and fights (鬥) are noisy.

About

闹 is the simplified form of 鬧, a character that combined 鬥 (fight) enclosing 市 (market) to depict the noisy clamor of a bustling marketplace. The simplified version replaces 鬥 with 门 (door/gate) while keeping the market component inside. Its meanings center on noise, bustle, and commotion, extending to causing disturbances, venting anger, or suffering disruptive events like illness or natural disasters.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

孩子别闹了。

Háizi bié nào le.

Child, stop making noise.

我的闹钟响了。

Wǒ de nào zhōng xiǎng le.

My alarm clock rang.

这里真热闹。

Zhèlǐ zhēn rènào.

It's really lively here.

他闹肚子了。

Tā nào dùzi le.

He has diarrhea.

不要闹情绪。

Búyào nào qíngxù.

Don't be in a bad mood.

他们闹矛盾了。

Tāmen nào máodùn le.

They have a conflict.

这场闹剧真可笑。

Zhè chǎng nào jù zhēn kěxiào.

This farce is really ridiculous.

闹市区的交通很拥挤。

Nàoshìqū de jiāotōng hěn yōngjǐ.

The traffic in the downtown area is very congested.

Related Characters

Component: 市

Component: 门

闹