How to Write 难 (nán/nàn) — Meaning “difficult; hard”

Imagine a bird (隹) is very hard to catch with just your hand (又). The visual of reaching for a bird that keeps flying away will remind you that 难 means 'difficult'.

Write the left side 又 first: start with a horizontal left-falling stroke, then a right-falling stroke (no extra dot). The right side 隹 has 8 strokes; be careful to keep the top 撇 short and the four horizontal strokes evenly spaced. A common mistake is making the 又 part too wide.

难 has 又 on the left and 隹 (bird) on the right, while 叔 has 又 on the left and 尗 (a plant-like component) on the right. 叕 is very rare and looks like four 又 stacked together. The key is to remember that 难 contains the bird radical 隹.

难 (nán) is used to describe tasks that are not easy, like 困难 (kùn nán, difficulty) or in questions like 难道 (nán dào, 'could it be that'). When pronounced nàn, it means disaster, as in 灾难 (zāi nàn, catastrophe). It is one of the first characters learners encounter about difficulty.

Common words containing 难 include: 困难 (kùn nán) — Difficulty / Hard; 难道 (nán dào) — could it be that; 灾难 (zāi nàn) — disaster; catastrophe.