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Choosing Mnemonics

Pick the mnemonic story that sticks best for you by clicking its ☆ — there's no wrong choice, and you'll be able to write your own soon. Then press Continue.

xuán = xu + an2
black / mysterious
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How to pronounce 玄

MandarinBanana teaches pronunciation with the Marilyn Method: every Pinyin syllable is one initial plus one final, the initial becomes a person, an animal or a deity, and the final becomes a place in your memory palace — with the tone deciding which part of that place the scene happens in. Remember the little story below for each half and the whole syllable comes back with them.

= xu initial

Xu is for Xu Xian.

By Matthias • updated 3 months ago
+ an2 final

In the anthill’s kitchen.

By Matthias • updated 5 months ago

玄 character breakdown

Chinese characters are built out of smaller characters. Each component carries a mnemonic symbol - one concrete object that stands in for it - and a mnemonic story hands those objects to the person and the place that stand for the pronunciation. Learn a component once and every character that reuses it gets easier.

Component Translations
tóu = t + ou2
"lid" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 8)
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yāo = y + ao1
youngest / most junior / tiny / one (unambiguous spoken form when spelling out numbers, esp. on telephone or in military) / one or ace on dice or dominoes / variant of 吆[yao1], to shout
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Characters with 玄 as component

xuàn = xu + an4
long day / extended / relaxed
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= lu + Ø2
black
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xián = xi + an2
millipede
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Words with 玄

show 9 more
Fang Xuanling (579-648), Tang dynasty historian, compiler of History of Jin dynasty 晉書|晋书[Jin4 shu1]
pillow lava (geology) / pillow basalt
Huan Xuan (369-404), general involved in the break-up of Eastern Jin

Sentences with 玄

玄 currently does not appear in any sentence.

Want to remember 玄 for good?

Make it your learning target and MandarinBanana works out the shortest route to it: the two sounds its syllable is built from, then the components of the character itself, one short step at a time. No account needed to start.

xuán

black / mysterious

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