Chinese name character
Chinese name character 年
nián
The character 年 (Mandarin nián) appears in 2 names and 2 syllables in this reference and is spelled Nee and Lian in Malaysia. Recorded meanings include “year”.
- Names and syllables
- 4
- Malaysian spellings
- 2
- Strokes
- 6
- Attested in records
- 4
4 names and syllables in this reference have 年 as one of their character options. For 4 of them, 年 is attested in records of real names; the rest are possible characters for that spelling.
Meanings of 年: the recorded options
year
in 5 character options · attested
Unihan definition: year; new-years; person's age
What a name means depends on the characters the family chose and how they combine; these are options, not one definite meaning.
Malaysian spellings of 年
| Spelling | Romanization |
|---|---|
| Nee | Hokkien · Teochew |
| Lian | Hokkien |
Readings of 年 by dialect
Readings from the character options in our name records; Unihan gives Mandarin nián and Cantonese nin4.
2 names that can be written with 年
2 syllables that can stand for 年
Sources
- Wiktionary: 年 · en.wiktionary.org · meaning
- MDBG: 年 · mdbg.net · meaning
- Unicode Unihan Database: U+5E74 · unicode.org · meaning
Readings, meanings and stroke count: the character options in our name records and the Unicode Unihan Database (Unicode License). A spelling describes how a name is written, not anyone’s dialect or background.
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Frequently asked questions
What does 年 mean in a name?
Our records give several meanings for 年, including “year”. What a name actually means depends on the characters the family chose and how they combine.
How is 年 spelled in Malaysia?
In our records 年 is spelled Nee (Hokkien, Teochew) and Lian (Hokkien). A spelling follows a dialect’s romanization; it does not show which dialect anyone speaks.
Is every Nee written 年?
Not necessarily. The spelling Nee can also stand for 尼. Only the family knows which character was chosen.