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March 24, 2026
懒(嬾)lǎn(lan3)
The character 懒 (lǎn) means lazy or sluggish, describing a lack of motivation or energy to act. It is commonly used in both casual and formal contexts to describe a person who prefers to avoid work or exertion. It can also imply a sense of languidness or listlessness in behavior.
Strokes16Radical忄Frequency#6350DifficultyHard
Cultural Note
In Chinese culture, being labeled as 懒 can carry a significant social stigma, as hard work and diligence are highly valued virtues. This character often appears in discussions about work ethic and personal responsibility.
Memory Tip
Imagine a sloth, which symbolizes laziness, lounging on a branch. The left component '忄' represents a heart, suggesting a lack of heart or desire to do anything, while the right component '懒' sounds like 'lan' in 'slant'—a sloth's body slanting downwards, emphasizing its laid-back nature.
Meanings of 懒
lǎn(lan3)
1lazy
2lazy, languid, listless
Exercise 1 of 3
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About 懒
懒Simplified
嬾Traditional
16Strokes
忄Radical
形容词xíngróngcíadjective (adj.)Part of Speech
#6350Frequency Rank
HSK 2.0L4HSK 3.0L4IntermediateHSKKL3CEFRC1
Podcast: 懒
Podcast: 懒
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AI Study Notes for 懒
Quick Contrast
懒 (lǎn) vs 效率低下 (xiàolǜ dīxià) — use 懒 for a personal trait of laziness, while 效率低下 describes low efficiency in performance.
Memory Mnemonic
Imagine a sloth, which symbolizes laziness, lounging on a branch. The left component '忄' represents a heart, suggesting a lack of heart or desire to do anything, while the right component '懒' sounds like 'lan' in 'slant'—a sloth's body slanting downwards, emphasizing its laid-back nature.
Usage Notes
Be cautious with the tone; 'lǎn' (lazy) is often used informally, while in more formal contexts, you might want to use synonyms that convey a similar meaning without the negative connotation. Common collocations include '懒惰' (lǎnduò - laziness) and '懒散' (lǎnsǎn - sluggishness).
HSK Study Tips
As an HSK Level 4 word, 懒 connects well with other adjectives describing personality traits or states of being. Focus on using it in sentences that describe someone’s habits or feelings to reinforce understanding.
Cultural Note
In Chinese culture, being labeled as 懒 can carry a significant social stigma, as hard work and diligence are highly valued virtues. This character often appears in discussions about work ethic and personal responsibility.
Common Mistakes
Learners often confuse 懒 with 忙 (máng - busy), leading to sentences like '我今天懒' (wǒ jīntiān lǎn - I am lazy today) being misused in contexts where 'busy' should be conveyed. Ensure the context aligns with the intended meaning.
AI-enhanced 2026-03-24
Pronunciation of 懒
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Grammar Patterns of 懒
懒 functions as an adjective. In Chinese it behaves like a stative verb: place it directly after the subject without 是 (我很高，not 我是高). Use 不 to negate (不高) and pair it with 很 in plain affirmative sentences. It carries 3 related meanings, each with its own usage notes below. The example sentences below show it in action, with practice buttons (Listen, Practice Writing, Practice Speaking) on every line.
Of all the lazy, indifferent, unbusinesslike attitudes to have!
2
伊莱恩转过身，懒懒地挥了一下手就走了。
yī lái ēn zhuǎn guò shēn， ， lǎn lǎn dì huī le yī xià shǒu jiù zǒu。
Elaine turned and waved her hand lazily and left.
3
风慵懒地吹过树木，像个病殃殃的孩子。
fēng yōng lǎn dì chuī guò shù mù， ， xiàng gè bìng yāng yāng de hái。
Down through the trees the wind whooshed weakly, like a sick child.
4
他打了个哈欠，都懒得抬抬手遮一下嘴巴。
tā dǎ le gè hā qiàn， ， dū lǎn dé tái tái shǒu zhē yī xià zuǐ。
He yawns, not troubling to cover his mouth.
5
你这个懒汉还没穿好衣服吗？
nǐ zhè gè lǎn hàn huán méi chuān hǎo yī fú ma？
Aren't you dressed yet, you lazy beggar?
6
人勤地生宝；人懒地长草。
rén qín dì shēng bǎo； ； rén lǎn dì cháng。
Feed plants and they grow, neglect them and they suffer.
7
他与形形色色的懒人为伍。
tā yǔ xíng xíng sè sè de lǎn rén wéi wǔ。
He keeps company with all sorts of lazy characters.
8
他可不是个会偷懒的人，他是他们最好的工人。
tā kě bù shì gè huì tōu lǎn de rén， ， tā shì tā mén zuì hǎo de gōng。
He's not a slacker, he's the best worker they've got.
9
我在上大学时懒得要命。
wǒ zài shàng dà xué shí lǎn dé yào mìng。
I never did a stroke of work at college.
10
她伸了个懒腰，打了个大哈欠。
tā shēn le gè lǎn yāo， ， dǎ le gè dà hā。
She stretched her arms out and gave a great yawn.
Cultural Notes for 懒
🏮Cultural insight
In Chinese culture, being labeled as 懒 can carry a significant social stigma, as hard work and diligence are highly valued virtues. This character often appears in discussions about work ethic and personal responsibility.
🌏Cross-cultural Insight
In Western cultures, being 'lazy' can sometimes be viewed with humor or acceptance in certain contexts, while in Chinese culture, it often has a more serious connotation that suggests a failure to meet societal expectations.
Word Family of 懒
Words Containing This Character20
懒lǎnlazy嬾
懒得lǎndedisinclined to懶得
懒惰lǎnduòidle懶惰
偷懒tōulǎnto goof off偷懶
懒散inactive懶散
懒鬼lazybones懶鬼
懒虫idle slob懶蟲
慵懒languid慵懶
睡懒觉to sleep in睡懶覺
懒人lazy person懶人
懒洋洋lazily懶洋洋
懒汉idle fellow懶漢
懒腰a stretch (of one's body)懶腰
伸懒腰to stretch oneself (on waking or when tired etc)伸懶腰
懒骨头lazybones懶骨頭
好吃懒做all take and no give好吃懶做
树懒sloth (zoology)樹懶
心灰意懒discouraged心灰意懶
疏懒indolent疏懶
惫懒naughty憊懶
Exercise 1 of 4
Compound Meaning
What does 懒 mean?
Frequently Asked Questions about 懒
懒 (lǎn) and 懶 are variants of the same character, with 懒 being used in Simplified Chinese and 懶 in Traditional Chinese. Both mean 'lazy' but are used in different writing systems.
Sure! Phrases like '懒得动' (lǎn de dòng), meaning 'too lazy to move,' and '懒洋洋' (lǎn yáng yáng), meaning 'listless or lethargic,' are common uses of the character. These expressions help convey different contexts of laziness.
懒 (lǎn) means 'lazy' in Chinese. It describes someone who is unwilling to work or use energy. The character can also convey a sense of languidity or listlessness.
To use 懒 in a sentence, you can say '我今天很懒' (Wǒ jīntiān hěn lǎn), which means 'I am very lazy today.' It can be used to describe a person's attitude or behavior towards work or activities.
Some synonyms include 懒惰 (lǎnduò - laziness) and 松懈 (sōngxiè - slackness).
Generally, 懒 has a negative connotation, but it can be used humorously among friends to describe a lazy day or relaxing time.
You could say '他今天很懒' (tā jīntiān hěn lǎn - He is very lazy today).
