晚

• Pinyin: wǎn
• Hanzi breakdown: 晚 = 日 (sun) + 免 (phonetic component) — the sun setting, hence 'late/evening'

Meaning

Late; evening. Describes being late in time or refers to the evening period.

As an adjective, it means 'late' — the opposite of 早 (early). Often used with 了 to indicate that something happened later than expected. Also used in time-related compounds such as 晚上 (evening), 晚饭 (dinner), and 晚安 (good night).

Examples

1. 对不起，我来晚了。 Sorry, I came late.
2. 今天我睡得太晚了。 I went to bed too late today.
3. 你不要来得太晚。 Don't come too late.

Usage Guide

Context: time, everyday

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 已经很晚了，回家吧。(It's already very late, go home.)
• 他每天都来得很晚。(He comes late every day.)

Don't Say

• 现在是晚。(Incomplete — say 现在很晚了 to mean 'it's late now'; 晚 needs a modifier like 很 and the particle 了)

Origin & History

Combines 日 (sun) and 免 (phonetic component), depicting the sun setting low — hence 'late' or 'evening.'

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal