HanziGuru.翻 · fān
翻
fān[fan1]Tone 1

to turn over, flip, translate

HSK 4
Multiple Readings (多音字):
Guru Deep Dive

English · to turn over, flip, translate

Cached lesson
1 / 1
Topology:Left-right
Strokes:18
Writing Balance Rule: The left side (羽) and right side (番) must share the available horizontal space equally. Compress the components slightly so the wide character remains balanced and does not split apart.
1. Meaning

to turn over or flip over

to rummage throughto translate text or speechto climb over or cross a barrierto double an amount
VerbNeutral#action#movement#communication
Sample Usage
  • 请把书翻到第二页。
    Qǐng bǎ shū fān dào dì èr yè.
    Please turn the book to page two.
  • 这本书已经被翻译成多种语言。
    Zhè běn shū yǐjīng bèi fānyì chéng duō zhǒng yǔyán.
    This book has already been translated into multiple languages.
2. Sound
/[fan⁵⁵]/Tone: 55
翻
fānfan1
++
¯(55)
=fān
Initial Consonant
f
Type: Labiodental Fricative
Sounds like: f sound as in English 'fun'
Unaspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: Continuous smooth friction.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Upper teeth gently touch the lower lip; no vocal cord vibration for the sound itself before voicing the vowel.
Final Rhyme
an
Vowel Group: -a vowel group
Sounds like: -an rhymes with 'on' in 'bonbon' or 'run' minus the r
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'ahn'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T1 (55)
1st Tone (High-Flat)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 1 is flat and sustained at the highest pitch of your vocal range, identical to a musical note held steady without dipping or rising.
👂
Listening trap: Do not confuse the vowel with the English word 'fan' (which often has a wider, more nasalized American vowel); the Mandarin 'an' is an alveolar nasal ending with a clear, crisp 'n' tongue tip touch against the alveolar ridge.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: Imagine a flat, high-pitched drone or holding a high note straight across like a singer, paired with a flat horizontal hand gesture at eye level.
3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 18 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left side (羽) and right side (番) must share the available horizontal space equally. Compress the components slightly so the wide character remains balanced and does not split apart.

4. Components

Radical 羽 · Feather Radical (feathers, wings)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 羽 (Indicates wings or flapping motion associated with turning over or flying up)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 番 (original sound: fān)

The character combines 羽 (feathers/wings) on the left with 番 (to take turns/repeat) on the right, portraying a bird repeatedly turning over its wings in flight.

  • 羽 Feathers or wings semantic clue
  • 番 Phonetic and structural component providing the sound 'fān'
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally constructed to represent birds fluttering and turning their wings in the air. Over time, the meaning broadened from physical flipping and flying over to turning pages, translating languages, and overturning obstacles.

Semantic Evolution: From bird wings turning over in flight to general actions of flipping, turning over pages of a book, translating languages across boundaries, and climbing over walls.

  • The addition of the feather radical emphasizes the fluttering, dynamic motion of turning or overturning.
6. Sinosphere
🇻🇳
Sino-Vietnamese
phiên
Mandarin tone 1 (high level) corresponds closely in high register loanwords.
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: ホン (hon) / Kun: 翻.る (hiruga.ru), 翻.す (hiruga.su)
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
번
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story

Imagine a bird with fine **feathers** (羽) taking **turns** (番) to **flip over** (翻) in the sky like an acrobat doing a backflip, and then landing to **translate** a foreign book.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
翻
fānto turn overBase character with feather radical
番
fānturn, times, foreignWithout the feather radical, means turn or foreign
播
bōto sow, broadcastUses hand radical (扌) instead of feather radical
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
番(fān)
番 lacks the feather radical (羽) on the left and typically refers to turns, times, or foreign matters.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
请帮我把这篇英文文章[___]成中文。
Clue: fān yì
Common Learner Pitfall

Forgetting the complex stroke structure on the left (羽) and confusing it with simpler left-hand radicals like 氵 or 扌.

Memory Prompts
Recognition: When you see 翻, what primary physical actions and cognitive tasks does it represent?
Production: How do you write the character for 'to translate' or 'to flip over' (fān) combining feathers and turns?
Real-World Video Context

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

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