万

• Pinyin: wàn
• Hanzi breakdown: 万 = simplified from 萬; originally depicted a scorpion, borrowed for the number ten thousand

Meaning

Ten thousand (10,000). A basic large number unit in Chinese.

A fundamental number in the Chinese counting system. Chinese counts by tens of thousands (万) rather than thousands. Widely used in prices, population figures, and statistics. Also used figuratively to mean 'extremely many,' as in 万一 (in case, literally 'ten-thousand to one') and 万岁 (long live).

Examples

1. 这辆车要十万块钱。 This car costs a hundred thousand yuan.
2. 我们学校有三万多学生。 Our school has over thirty thousand students.
3. 万一下雨了怎么办？ What if it rains?

Usage Guide

Context: numbers, money, statistics, everyday

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 北京有两千多万人。(Beijing has over twenty million people.)
• 这个手机要五千块，不到一万。(This phone costs five thousand yuan, less than ten thousand.)

Don't Say

• 十个千 instead of 一万 (Don't say 'ten thousands' — Chinese uses 万 as a single unit; always say 一万 not 十千)

Origin & History

Simplified from 萬. The original character depicted a scorpion but was borrowed for the number ten thousand due to phonetic similarity.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal