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藍 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
藍lánblue; indigo plant; surnamex, 18 strokes, radical 艹
lán(lan2) T2
  1. 1blue; indigo plant; surname
Listen to the audio pronunciation 3 times to gain XP
March 24, 2026

藍lán(lan2)

The character 藍 (lán) primarily means 'blue,' representing a color often associated with calmness and depth. It can also refer to the indigo plant, which is historically significant in dye production. Additionally, 藍 is a common surname in Chinese culture.

Strokes18Radical艹
Cultural Note

In traditional Chinese culture, blue was often associated with nobility and was used in art and textiles. The indigo plant has historical significance as a dye source, especially in the creation of blue fabric for clothing.

Memory Tip

Imagine a blue sky filled with indigo plants swaying gently. The character 藍 contains the radical '艹' which suggests plants, and '南' which sounds like 'nán,' hinting at the deep blue of the southern sky. Picture a serene landscape where these elements come together.

Meanings of 藍

lán(lan2)
1blue; indigo plant; surname
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 藍

藍Simplified
18Strokes
艹Radical
非语素字non-morpheme character (n-m.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 藍

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Podcast: 藍

Listen to Jason & Amy break down this word for you

AI Study Notes for 藍

Quick Contrast

蓝 (lán) - This is the simplified form of 藍, and while they represent the same color, 藍 is used in traditional Chinese contexts.

Usage Notes

Be cautious of using 藍 inappropriately; it is often used in formal contexts when describing colors or in artistic discussions. Common collocations include 藍色 (lánsè - blue color) and 藍天 (lántiān - blue sky). Remember that tone can change meaning; ensure you pronounce it with the second tone.

HSK Study Tips

While 藍 is not included in the official HSK levels, it connects well with HSK 1 vocabulary related to colors like 红 (hóng - red) and 绿 (lǜ - green). Focus on recognizing the character and practicing its pronunciation to enhance your color vocabulary.

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 藍 with other color characters like 青 (qīng - green/blue). For example, saying '我喜欢青色' when referring to blue can be misleading; the correct term is '我喜欢藍色.'

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 藍

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Etymology of 藍

Formation Typepictophonetic
六书 ClassificationPhono-semantic (形声字)~80-90% of characters
Explanation

Phonosemantic compound. 艹 represents the meaning and 监 represents the sound. Simplified form of 藍.

Memory Hint

plant

Semantic (meaning)艹
+
Phonetic (sound)監
Learn more about Phono-semantic (形声字) characters

Jason Etymology Detective

Case file: 藍

Phonosemantic compound. 艹 represents the meaning and 监 represents the sound. Simplified form of 藍.

  1. 1The meaning half艹 carries the sense.
  2. 2The sound half監 is there for the reading, not the meaning.
  3. 3The giveawayplant
  4. 4On the record aspictophonetic.

Every clue here comes from the character's recorded structure — nothing is guessed.

Want the full history of 藍? Jason searches the paleographic record, weighs the competing accounts and judges the popular story.

Charged once for this character — everyone reads it afterwards.
Exercise 1 of 1

Character Formation Type

What type of character formation is 藍?

Decomposition of 藍

IDS Structure⿱艹監
藍Full Character
=
艹cao3
top
監jian1
bottom
Exercise 1 of 2

Identify the Components

Which of these is a component of 藍?

How to say blue; indigo plant; surname in Chinese

“blue; indigo plant; surname” in Chinese is藍lán

The character 藍 (lán) primarily means 'blue,' representing a color often associated with calmness and depth. It can also refer to the indigo plant, which is historically significant in dye production. Additionally, 藍 is a common surname in Chinese culture.

When to use 藍

Be cautious of using 藍 inappropriately; it is often used in formal contexts when describing colors or in artistic discussions. Common collocations include 藍色 (lánsè - blue color) and 藍天 (lántiān - blue sky). Remember that tone can change meaning; ensure you pronounce it with the second tone.

藍 or something close to it

蓝 (lán) - This is the simplified form of 藍, and while they represent the same color, 藍 is used in traditional Chinese contexts.

What learners get wrong

Learners often confuse 藍 with other color characters like 青 (qīng - green/blue). For example, saying '我喜欢青色' when referring to blue can be misleading; the correct term is '我喜欢藍色.'

Write 藍

藍

Practice writing 藍 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.

Write correctly 3 times to earn XP

Word Family of 藍

Words Containing This Character20
蓝lánblue藍
蓝色lánsèblue (color)藍色
蓝天lántiānblue sky藍天
蓝图lántúblueprint藍圖
蔚蓝wèilánazure蔚藍
蓝宝石sapphire藍寶石
甘蓝cabbage甘藍
蓝领lánlǐngblue-collar藍領
湛蓝azure湛藍
蓝本blueprint藍本
蓝皮书an official report (e.g. governmental)藍皮書
天蓝sky blue天藍
天蓝色azure天藍色
蓝藻cyanobacteria (blue-green algae)藍藻
蓝山Lanshan county in Yongzhou 永州[Yǒng​zhōu], Hunan藍山
板蓝根indigo woad root板藍根
碧蓝dark blue碧藍
蓝田Lantian county in Xi'an 西安[Xī​'ān], Shaanxi藍田
蓝鲸blue whale藍鯨
深蓝Deep Blue, chess-playing computer, first to defeat reigning world champion, developed by IBM (1985-1997)深藍
Exercise 1 of 4

Compound Meaning

What does 蓝 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 藍

It is pronounced 'lán' with a rising tone.

Jason Recommends

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