How to Write 娩 (miǎn) — Meaning “to give birth; delivery”

Imagine a woman (女) saying 'Me-ahn' (like 'miǎn') as she is about to give birth, needing to 'meet' the baby soon. The right side 免 looks like a person with a hat, symbolizing a mother pushing a baby out. Visualize the woman giving birth as the baby 'exits' to freedom (免 meaning to avoid or escape).

Write the left radical 女 (woman) first with three strokes, making sure the bottom horizontal stroke slants slightly upward. The right part 免 has nine strokes; note that the final stroke is a hook under the vertical hook, not a straight line. A common mistake is to make the 免 component too wide—keep it balanced and slightly narrower than the 女 radical.

娩 (miǎn) specifically means 'childbirth' or 'to give birth,' while 妮 (ní) is a phonetic character meaning 'girl' or 'maid' and is often used in names. 妯 (zhóu) means 'wives of brothers' or 'sisters-in-law.' Visually, 妮 has 尼 (nun) on the right, 妯 has 由 (reason) on the right, whereas 娩 has 免 (to avoid) on the right—each has a different semantic component.

娩 is most commonly found in formal medical terms like 分娩 (childbirth) and 娩出 (to deliver a baby). It is not used in everyday conversation; instead, people say 生孩子 (shēng háizi) for 'give birth.' Culturally, 顺娩 means 'natural childbirth,' and hospitals use 娩 to describe labor stages, reflecting its clinical tone.

Common words containing 娩 include: 分娩 (fēn miǎn) — Childbirth; to give birth; 娩出 (miǎn chū) — to deliver (a baby); childbirth; 顺娩 (shùn miǎn) — natural childbirth; easy delivery.