Skip to content
Start your Chinese Learning JourneyStart Now
鸞 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
鸞luánfabulous birdzg, 30 strokes, radical 鳥
luán(luan2) T2
  1. 1fabulous bird
Listen to the audio pronunciation 3 times to gain XP
March 24, 2026

鸞luán(luan2)

鸞 (luán) refers to a mythical bird often associated with good fortune and beauty in Chinese culture. It is commonly depicted in literature and art as a symbol of elegance and nobility, frequently appearing in stories about love and harmony.

Strokes30Radical鳥
Cultural Note

In traditional Chinese culture, the 鸞 is often associated with auspiciousness and is sometimes linked to the idea of the phoenix, symbolizing rebirth and renewal. It is also featured in wedding customs, representing a harmonious marriage.

Memory Tip

Imagine a graceful bird with a long, flowing tail, soaring through the sky. The character 鸞 resembles a bird (鸟) with a crown (兌), which you can think of as a 'luan' bird wearing a royal crown, emphasizing its fabulous nature.

Meanings of 鸞

luán(luan2)
1fabulous bird
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 鸞

鸞Simplified
30Strokes
鳥Radical
状态词stative word (stat.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 鸞

JasonAmy

Podcast: 鸞

Listen to Jason & Amy break down this word for you

AI Study Notes for 鸞

Usage Notes

鸞 is a literary term and not frequently used in daily conversation. Be careful not to confuse it with similar-sounding words or characters that refer to different types of birds. Its usage is more formal and often appears in poetry or classical literature.

HSK Study Tips

While 鸞 is not part of the HSK vocabulary, it connects with other characters like 鳥 (bird) and 龍 (dragon), which are common at lower HSK levels. Students should focus on understanding its literary context and associations with other mythical beings.

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 鸞 with 鳥 (niǎo), which is the general term for bird. For example, saying '我喜欢鸞' (Wǒ xǐhuān luán) when you mean to say 'I like birds' should be corrected to '我喜欢鸟' (Wǒ xǐhuān niǎo).

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 鸞

Premium — Locked

AI tone practice

Pro

Drill the tone of 鸞 with AI-powered exercises, get instant feedback, and earn XP toward mastery. Interactive tone practice is part of Pro.

Tone drillsInstant feedback+5 XP
See plans to unlock

Etymology of 鸞

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

bird

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

Jason Etymology Detective

Case file: 鸞

  1. 1The meaning half䜌 carries the sense.
  2. 2The sound half鳥 is there for the reading, not the meaning.
  3. 3The giveawaybird
  4. 4On the record aspictophonetic.

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

Want the full history of 鸞? 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 鸞?

Decomposition of 鸞

IDS Structure⿱䜌鳥
鸞Full Character
=
䜌luan2
top
鳥niao3
bottom
Exercise 1 of 2

Identify the Components

Which of these is a component of 鸞?

How to say fabulous bird in Chinese

“fabulous bird” in Chinese is鸞luán

鸞 (luán) refers to a mythical bird often associated with good fortune and beauty in Chinese culture. It is commonly depicted in literature and art as a symbol of elegance and nobility, frequently appearing in stories about love and harmony.

When to use 鸞

鸞 is a literary term and not frequently used in daily conversation. Be careful not to confuse it with similar-sounding words or characters that refer to different types of birds. Its usage is more formal and often appears in poetry or classical literature.

What learners get wrong

Learners often confuse 鸞 with 鳥 (niǎo), which is the general term for bird. For example, saying '我喜欢鸞' (Wǒ xǐhuān luán) when you mean to say 'I like birds' should be corrected to '我喜欢鸟' (Wǒ xǐhuān niǎo).

Write 鸞

鸞

Practice writing 鸞 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 鸞

Words Containing This Character3
鸾luánmythical bird related to phoenix鸞
鸾凤luan and phoenix鸞鳳
颠鸾倒凤to have sexual intercourse顛鸞倒鳳
Exercise 1 of 3

Compound Meaning

What does 鸾 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 鸞

鸞 represents beauty, nobility, and good fortune, often appearing in literature as a symbol of love and harmony.

Jason Recommends

Not sure what to learn after 鸞?

Jason picks three words from your level and explains why each one is worth your time next. It takes a free account so he knows what you already know.