HanziGuru.尿 · niào
尿
niào[niao4]Tone 4

urine / to urinate

HSK 7
Multiple Readings (多音字):
Guru Deep Dive

English · urine / to urinate

Cached lesson
1 / 1
Topology:Semi-enclosure
Strokes:7
Writing Balance Rule: The outer body (尸) forms a protective roof and left wall, while the inner element (水 collapsed into dots/strokes) nestles snugly underneath without breaking out of the bottom border.
1. Meaning

urine

to urinate
Noun / VerbNeutral / Colloquial#bodily functions#biology#health
Sample Usage
  • 请留一个尿样。
    Qǐng liú yí gè niào yàng.
    Please leave a urine sample.
  • 小孩子经常想尿尿。
    Xiǎo háizi jīngcháng xiǎng niào niào.
    Little children often need to pee.
2. Sound
/[ni̯ɑʊ̯⁵¹]/Tone: 51
尿
niàoniao4
++
`(51)
=niào
Build the syllable
Step-by-step blending
niao
Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "a" per main-vowel priority (a > e > o; in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).
Initial Consonant
n
Type: Alveolar Nasal
Sounds like: n sound like in 'no'
Unaspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: Air passes completely through nose.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Tongue tip pressed lightly against the alveolar ridge behind the upper front teeth.
Final Rhyme
iao
Vowel Group: -a vowel group
Sounds like: rhymes with 'yow' in meow
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'yow'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T4 (51)
4th Tone (High-Falling)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 4 starts high and plunges straight down, exactly like shouting 'No!' in anger or frustration.
👂
Listening trap: Confusing the third tone niǎo with the fourth tone niào. Ensure the pitch plummets decisively from top to bottom.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: A sharp, firm karate chop downward, mirroring the high-to-low angry drop of Tone 4.
3. Writing

Topology: Semi-enclosure · Strokes: 7 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The outer body (尸) forms a protective roof and left wall, while the inner element (水 collapsed into dots/strokes) nestles snugly underneath without breaking out of the bottom border.

4. Components

Radical 尸 · Corpse / Body Radical (body, posture, or structure)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 水 (indicates liquid body fluids)

A human body posture (尸) combined with liquid water (水 squeezed inside), depicting bodily fluid coming out of the body.

  • 尸 Represents a person or body
  • 水 Represents liquid or water
5. History
Liushu category: Compound ideogram (会意)

Origin: Originally created by combining the character for body (尸) and water (水) to vividly depict bodily liquid being expelled from the human body.

Semantic Evolution: Has consistently referred to urine and urination from ancient times to modern Chinese.

  • It is a straightforward pictographic/ideographic fusion from early writing systems that required no abstract metaphors.
6. Sinosphere
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: ニョウ (nyou) / Kun: しばらく / いばら
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story

Picture a human BODY (尸) holding in too much WATER (水) until they urgently need to run to the restroom—yielding a sharp, forceful drop of URNINE (niào).

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
脲
niàocarbamide; urea (NH2)2CO+ ⺼ (meat)
Explore this family →
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
尸(shī)
尸 is just the outer shell meaning 'corpse/body', whereas 尿 contains extra strokes inside representing liquid.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
多喝水可以促进身体排___。
Clue: niào
Common Learner Pitfall

Writing the internal water component incorrectly or confusing the top/outer frame with unrelated characters like 尼 or 居.

Memory Prompts
Recognition: When you see 尿, what bodily substance and action come to mind?
Production: How do you write the character for 'urine' using the body (尸) and water (水) components?
Real-World Video Context

Watch authentic native speakers pronounce and explain this word in real-world YouTube videos.

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