Mandarin TempleMandarin Temple Beta Come for Knowledge. Stay for Wisdom.
Start your Chinese Learning JourneyStart Now
鰥 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
鰥guānhuge fish; widower; bachelorx, 21 strokes, radical 魚
guān(guan1) T1
  1. 1huge fish; widower; bachelor
Listen to the audio pronunciation 3 times to gain XP
March 24, 2026

鰥guān(guan1)

The character 鰥 (guān) primarily refers to a widower or a bachelor, signifying a man who has lost his wife. In some contexts, it can also denote a large fish. This term is less frequently used in everyday conversation but can be encountered in literature and formal discussions related to marital status.

Strokes21Radical魚
Cultural Note

In Chinese culture, there is a significant emphasis on family and marital status, making terms like 鰥 important in discussions about societal roles. Widowers may be viewed with a mix of sympathy and respect, reflecting traditional values regarding marriage.

Memory Tip

Imagine a huge fish swimming alone in the ocean, representing a widower, symbolizing loneliness. The character 鰥 can be visualized as a fish (the radical 魚) combined with a lone representation of a man, highlighting the solitude of being a bachelor.

Meanings of 鰥

guān(guan1)
1huge fish; widower; bachelor
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 鰥

鰥Simplified
21Strokes
魚Radical
非语素字non-morpheme character (n-m.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 鰥

JasonAmy

Podcast: 鰥

Listen to Jason & Amy break down this word for you

AI Study Notes for 鰥

Usage Notes

This term is somewhat formal and not commonly used in casual conversations. Learners should be aware that mixing it up with terms like '单身' (dānshēn - single) might lead to misunderstandings regarding marital status. The character is pronounced with a falling tone, which is crucial for correct pronunciation.

HSK Study Tips

While 鰥 is not part of the HSK vocabulary, understanding it can enhance your grasp of more advanced texts discussing relationships. Focus on related terms like '寡妇' (guǎfù - widow) to expand your vocabulary around marital statuses.

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 鰥 with other terms for 'single' or 'bachelor.' For example, saying '我鰥' (Wǒ guān - I am a bachelor) is incorrect; it should be '我单身' (Wǒ dānshēn - I am single).

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 鰥

Premium — Locked

AI tone practice

Pro

Drill the tone of 鰥 with AI-powered exercises, get instant feedback, and earn XP toward mastery. Interactive tone practice is part of Pro.

Tone drillsInstant feedback+5 XP
See plans to unlock

Etymology of 鰥

Formation Typepictophonetic
六书 ClassificationPhono-semantic (形声字)~80-90% of characters
Memory Hint

fish

Semantic (meaning)魚
+
Phonetic (sound)眔
Learn more about Phono-semantic (形声字) characters

Jason Etymology Detective

Case file: 鰥

  1. 1The meaning half魚 carries the sense.
  2. 2The sound half眔 is there for the reading, not the meaning.
  3. 3The giveawayfish
  4. 4On the record aspictophonetic.

Every clue here comes from the character's recorded structure — nothing is guessed.

Want the full history of 鰥? Jason searches the paleographic record, weighs the competing accounts and judges the popular story.

Charged once for this character — everyone reads it afterwards.
Exercise 1 of 1

Character Formation Type

What type of character formation is 鰥?

Decomposition of 鰥

IDS Structure⿰魚眔
鰥Full Character
=
魚yu2
left
眔da4
right
Exercise 1 of 2

Identify the Components

Which of these is a component of 鰥?

How to say huge fish; widower; bachelor in Chinese

“huge fish; widower; bachelor” in Chinese is鰥guān

The character 鰥 (guān) primarily refers to a widower or a bachelor, signifying a man who has lost his wife. In some contexts, it can also denote a large fish. This term is less frequently used in everyday conversation but can be encountered in literature and formal discussions related to marital status.

When to use 鰥

This term is somewhat formal and not commonly used in casual conversations. Learners should be aware that mixing it up with terms like '单身' (dānshēn - single) might lead to misunderstandings regarding marital status. The character is pronounced with a falling tone, which is crucial for correct pronunciation.

What learners get wrong

Learners often confuse 鰥 with other terms for 'single' or 'bachelor.' For example, saying '我鰥' (Wǒ guān - I am a bachelor) is incorrect; it should be '我单身' (Wǒ dānshēn - I am single).

Write 鰥

鰥

Practice writing 鰥 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.

Write correctly 3 times to earn XP

Word Family of 鰥

Words Containing This Character3
鳏夫widower鰥夫
鳏guānwidower鰥
鳏寡孤独fig. people with no one left to rely on鰥寡孤獨
Exercise 1 of 3

Compound Meaning

What does 鳏夫 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 鰥

You can say, '他是一个鰥, 生活得很孤单。' (He is a widower and lives a lonely life.)

Jason Recommends

Not sure what to learn after 鰥?

Jason picks three words from your level and explains why each one is worth your time next. It takes a free account so he knows what you already know.