软

軟/輭

ruǎn

欠 + 车

HSK 2.0Level 5

HSK 3.0Level 5

Definitions

ruǎn (adjective) soft; flexible

ruǎn (adjective) weak; pliable

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 车 represents the meaning and 耎 represents the sound. Simplified form of 軟.

Semantic: 车 Phonetic: 欠

About

软 is a simplified character; its traditional form is 軟, and it has a phono-semantic (pictophonetic) structure. The semantic component 车 (simplified from 車) refers to carriages or vehicles, while the phonetic component was originally 耎, which was replaced by 欠 upon simplification. The character originally referred to the soft padding inside a carriage or to flexible, shock-absorbing wheels. Later, its meaning was generalized to refer to anything that is soft, pliable, and lacking rigidity.

Etymology Hide

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

这个面包很软。

Zhège miànbāo hěn ruǎn.

This bread is very soft.

我喜欢吃软糖。

Wǒ xǐhuan chī ruǎntáng.

I like to eat soft candy.

沙发坐起来非常柔软。

Shāfā zuò qǐlái fēichāng róuruǎn.

The sofa feels very soft to sit on.

他的态度突然变软了。

Tā de tàidù tūrán biàn ruǎn le.

His attitude suddenly softened.

这个软件非常好用。

Zhège ruǎnjiàn fēichāng hǎo yòng.

This software is very easy to use.

她是个心软的人，容易原谅别人。

Tā shì gè xīnruǎn de rén, róngyì yuánliàng biérén.

She is a soft-hearted person who easily forgives others.

经过长时间的谈判，对方的立场有所软化。

Jīngguò cháng shíjiān de tánpàn, duìfāng de lìchǎng yǒu suǒ ruǎnhuà.

After lengthy negotiations, the other side's stance has softened somewhat.

在经济疲软的时期，投资需要格外谨慎。

Zài jīngjì píruǎn de shíqī, tóuzī xūyào géwài jǐnshèn.

During periods of economic weakness, investment requires extra caution.

Related Characters

Component: 欠

Component: 车

软