How to Write 孪 (luán) — Meaning “Twins; born together.”

Imagine two children (子) who look exactly the same, so one says "I am also (亦) that child." The top part 亦 looks like a pair of arms holding the child below, reminding you of two babies together.

Pay attention to the top part 亦: it has a dot on the left, then a horizontal stroke, then two slanted strokes (left-falling and right-falling) like a person's legs. The bottom 子 must be written wide enough to support the top; do not make the top too big or the bottom too small.

孪 has 亦 (also) on top, while 孚 has a claw-like shape (爪) on top meaning "to hatch" or "trust", and 孛 has a cross-like shape (十) on top meaning "comet". Visually, 孪's top has a dot and two diagonal strokes, 孚's top has three short downward strokes, and 孛's top is simply a cross (十).

孪 appears in words like 孪生 (twin) and 孪生子 (twin children). It is slightly more formal or literary than the everyday word 双胞胎 (shuāng bāo tāi). You might see it in news or written descriptions of twins, and it can also be used metaphorically for things that come in matching pairs.

Common words containing 孪 include: 孪生 (luán shēng) — twin; 孪生子 (luán shēng zi) — twins; 孪生姐妹 (luán shēng jiě mèi) — twin sisters.