Writing
然后 (ránhòu) — how to say "then" in Chinese
然后
Then
conjunction joining clauses
How to use it
Joins the parts of a complex sentence, often paired with another conjunction.
我们先吃饭，然后去公园。
wǒ men xiān chī fàn rán hòu qù gōng yuán
We'll eat first, then go to the park.
Character composition
然
thus
后
after
Radicals / Keys
口
Mouth
#30 · kǒu · 3 strokes
火
Fire
#86 · huǒ · 4 strokes
Synonyms
Examples
我先去超市买菜，然后回家做饭，最后再复习一下。
First I'll go to the supermarket to buy food, then go home to cook, and finally review a bit.
先洗手，然后吃饭。
First wash your hands, then eat.
Mnemonic
[ránhòu-] Ranhound the dog loves organizing magic shows where everything happens in perfect order: first, a flash of fire appears, and then 然后 flowers bloom 🌼. A sign reads, "AFTER the spark, comes the magic!", ensuring everyone remembers that magic occurs 然 then after.
Frequently asked questions
Then in Chinese meaning
"then" in Chinese is 然后 (ránhòu).
然后 meaning in English
然后 (ránhòu) means "Then".
How is 然后 pronounced?
It is pronounced ránhòu (written as ranhou). You can listen to the pronunciation on this page.
How do you write "then" in Chinese characters?
It is written 然后: 然 has 12 strokes, 后 has 6 strokes. The Writing section above animates the stroke order of each character and lets you trace it.
What HSK level is 然后?
然后 belongs to the HSK 3 vocabulary list.
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