Chinese word

黏

Pronunciation

Pinyinnián

Meaning

  • adjectivesticky

Example

这东西很黏，手上都黏了。zhè dōng xī hěn nián shǒu shàng dōu nián le

This stuff is sticky, and my hands are all sticky.

Illustration for 黏 (sticky)

More examples

这块糖在口中慢慢化，感觉越来越黏。zhè kuài táng zài kǒu zhōng màn màn huà gǎn jué yuè lái yuè nián

This candy slowly melts in my mouth and feels increasingly sticky.

Core concept

A surface that makes things cling when they touch it, like wet food, glue, or sweat.

Common phrases

  • 很黏hěn nián

    very sticky

  • 有点黏yóu diǎn nián

    a little sticky

  • 黏的感觉nián de gǎn jué

    sticky feeling

Similar words

粘zhān: Adhering readily on contact, so attached objects are difficult to pull apart.
粘腻zhān nì: Uncomfortably sticky because oil or sweat leaves a greasy film on the surface.

Definition in Chinese

表示物体表面或手上具有粘附性，触碰时容易互相粘连或粘住，常用来形容食物、胶水、汗渍等产生的粘性。biǎo shì wù tǐ biǎo miàn huò shǒu shàng jù yǒu zhān fù xìng chù pèng shí róng yì hù xiāng zhān lián huò zhān zhù cháng yòng lái xíng róng shí wù jiāo shuǐ hàn zì děng chǎn shēng de zhān xìng

Word origin

黏 (nián, "sticky") uses 黍 (shǔ, "millet") as its meaning component and 占 (zhān, "occupy") as its sound component, recalling the clingy quality of sticky millet.

Usage tips

  • In everyday conversation, degree words such as "very" and "a little" often accompany this adjective, making short descriptions of food, glue, or sweaty skin sound natural.

Other meanings

  • stickverb

Opposites

Related words

  • 黏糊糊nián hú húgooeyadjective
  • 黏性nián xìngstickinessnoun

Word lists with this word