How to Write 安 (ān) — Meaning “Safe, peaceful, or quiet.”

Picture a woman (女) sitting calmly inside a house (宀). Think: 'A woman under a roof feels safe and quiet.' This simple image helps you recall that 安 means safe, peaceful, or quiet.

Start by writing the roof radical 宀 as a wide cover, then write 女 below it. A common mistake is making the top too narrow or placing 女 too low – keep the roof slightly wider than the woman so the character looks balanced.

安 contains 女 (woman) under a roof, while 宁 has 丁 (a nail or stem) and 它 has 匕 (a spoon-like shape). In meaning, 安 is about safety, 宁 means 'rather' or 'peaceful' (e.g., 宁可), and 它 is a neutral pronoun meaning 'it'.

安 appears in common words like 安全 (safety), 安静 (quiet), and 安排 (to arrange). Culturally, it is used in greetings like 早安 (good morning) and 晚安 (good night), and it is a popular character in Chinese names because it conveys a wish for peace and stability.

Common words containing 安 include: 安全 (ān quán) — Safe / Safety; 安静 (ān jìng) — Quiet / Peaceful; 安排 (ān pái) — To arrange / Arrangement.