面

miàn

Pinyin
miàn
Pinyin (Plain)
mian
Tone
4
Strokes
9
Radical
面
Readings
miànmianTone: 4face; side; surface; aspect; top; classifier for objects with flat surfaces such as drums, mirrors, flags etcOrder: 0Primary
Stroke Order Code
Speed
Stroke Order Data
["M 483 693 Q 579 708 678 722 Q 742 734 753 742 Q 763 749 759 759 Q 752 772 721 782 Q 688 791 595 763 Q 444 730 309 723 Q 269 719 296 699 Q 339 672 415 684 Q 428 687 445 687 L 483 693 Z", "M 418 526 Q 443 556 471 592 Q 484 608 506 630 Q 522 640 515 651 Q 508 670 483 693 C 461 714 445 717 445 687 Q 448 648 379 531 Q 375 524 371 517 C 356 491 399 503 418 526 Z", "M 199 487 Q 180 497 161 503 Q 152 506 147 500 Q 137 493 148 480 Q 200 389 205 159 Q 206 84 249 52 L 251 51 Q 270 45 273 79 L 272 117 Q 271 139 264 163 Q 243 404 242 438 Q 242 442 241 447 C 239 467 226 474 199 487 Z", "M 730 106 Q 734 100 736 94 Q 746 60 761 45 Q 771 35 780 36 Q 792 37 803 59 Q 839 117 860 368 Q 864 431 883 472 Q 895 488 891 497 Q 891 513 849 548 Q 797 591 760 576 Q 757 576 754 574 Q 732 570 661 561 Q 502 543 418 526 L 371 517 Q 334 513 305 505 Q 235 493 199 487 C 169 482 212 438 241 447 Q 241 448 243 448 Q 295 466 363 478 L 395 485 Q 447 497 558 510 L 599 515 Q 675 525 746 528 Q 771 529 781 515 Q 797 502 798 472 Q 804 397 782 261 Q 769 153 761 139 Q 760 135 753 132 Q 749 132 743 133 C 725 117 725 117 730 106 Z", "M 432 126 Q 432 181 432 230 L 432 259 Q 432 310 432 354 L 432 384 Q 432 457 431 459 L 430 460 Q 412 476 395 485 C 369 500 351 506 363 478 Q 363 475 376 452 Q 383 434 392 123 C 393 93 432 96 432 126 Z", "M 613 148 Q 620 311 625 435 Q 626 454 627 467 Q 634 483 625 493 Q 612 506 599 515 C 575 533 548 538 558 510 Q 573 477 575 379 Q 574 304 572 142 C 572 112 612 118 613 148 Z", "M 432 354 Q 487 364 529 372 Q 551 378 542 389 Q 530 402 506 404 Q 463 407 432 384 C 408 367 402 349 432 354 Z", "M 432 230 Q 489 239 529 248 Q 551 254 542 265 Q 530 278 506 280 Q 464 283 432 259 C 408 241 402 225 432 230 Z", "M 273 79 Q 283 78 297 78 Q 435 100 730 106 C 760 107 765 113 743 133 Q 734 142 722 151 Q 704 164 613 148 L 572 142 Q 499 135 432 126 L 392 123 Q 328 122 272 117 C 242 114 243 81 273 79 Z"]
Meaning
The character 面 most commonly means “face” (a person’s face or surface of something) and by extension “side” or “aspect” (e.g., one side of an object or one aspect of an issue). In many everyday words it can also refer to “noodles” or “flour-based foods,” as in 面条 (miàn tiáo, noodles).
Metadata
Locale: en
Cached At: 3/24/2026, 7:18:01 PM

Usage

The character 面 most commonly means “face” and appears both on its own and in many everyday words. As a noun it can literally mean a person’s face (脸面), but it also extends to ideas like reputation, dignity, or “saving face” (面子，给他点面子). It also means “surface” or “side” of an object, as in 一方面 / 另一面 (“on one hand / on the other hand”), 封面 (“front cover”), 后面 (“back / behind”), and 里面 (“inside”). Learners quickly see 面 in location-related words (前面, 旁边 with a similar function) and idiomatic expressions about personal image or social status. Another very common usage is “noodles” in the word 面条 or just 面 in many food names (吃面, 牛肉面, 拉面). In this sense, 面 comes from “wheat flour,” and you’ll also see it in 面粉 (“flour”) and related food vocabulary. In Japanese (kanji) and Korean (hanja), 面 keeps the core ideas of “face,” “surface,” or “side” and appears in words like 面接 (Japanese “interview,” literally “face-to-face connection”) or 方面 (“aspect” in both Chinese and Japanese), so learners in those languages also frequently encounter it in abstract “aspect/side” meanings as well as its basic “face” sense.

Handwriting Notes

面 in handwriting usually appears as a fairly square, compact block with a clear “frame” around a simpler interior. Visually, you can think of it as an outer enclosure (rather like a box that’s slightly wider than tall) with horizontal elements and a short vertical stroke inside. In neat handwriting, people tend to keep the outer box balanced and the inner strokes centered so the whole character feels stable and not too thin or stretched. Handwritten forms can vary in how tightly the outer frame is drawn (sometimes more rectangular, sometimes almost square), how open or closed the “bottom” of the box looks, and how simplified the inner strokes become when written quickly. In cursive or fast everyday writing, lines may connect, corners become rounder, and some short strokes may be hinted at rather than fully written, but the overall box-plus-interior pattern is usually still recognizable. Modern AI handwriting recognition systems are trained on many such variations, so they can recognize 面 even when written with different personal styles, speeds, or levels of neatness.

Description

面 is a common character meaning “face” (as in a person’s face or surface of something) and also “side” or “aspect.” In Chinese, it is also used in words for “noodles” (miàn), but by itself most often refers to “face” or “surface.”

Common Words

  • 方面fāngmiànaspect; respect; side
  • 面条miàntiáonoodles
  • 面包miànbāobread
  • 面子miànziface; reputation; prestige
  • 见面jiànmiànto meet; to see (someone)
  • 前面qiánmianin front; ahead
  • 后面hòumianbehind; at the back; later part
  • 上面shàngmianon; above; surface
  • 下面xiàmianbelow; under; next
  • 旁边pángbiānbeside; nearby; to the side
  • 对面duìmiànopposite; across from
  • 外面wàimianoutside; exterior
  • 里面lǐmiàninside; interior
  • 表面biǎomiànsurface; exterior; outward appearance
  • 平面píngmiànplane; flat surface
  • 面试miànshìinterview (for a job, school, etc.)
  • 面临miànlínto face; to confront
  • 面向miànxiàngto face; orientation; direction
  • 面貌miànmàoappearance; look; features
  • 面积miànjīarea (of a surface or land)
Try writing this character