年 nián
“year”
time word, nounHSK 1 · 2021 list level 1Measure word 个
新HSK等级2025 HSK 3.0 syllabus level
年 appears in the November 2025 exam syllabus in the following numbered entry. Levels refer to the listed reading and use, not every meaning.
- Entry 149: 年 nián — Level 1; official annotation 1 (名、量). PDF page 83
Separate from the HSK 2.0 and 2021 list labels above. Compare the three lists.
用法How to use 年
年 means “year.” It is used after a number for a calendar year or a number of years, and in common time words like 今年, 明年, and 去年. Typical patterns are 2024年, 一年, and 今年.
例句Example sentences
- 一年有十二个月。yì nián yǒu shí èr gè yuè.A year has twelve months.
- 我学中文一年了。wǒ xué zhōng wén yì nián le.I have been learning Chinese for a year.
- 明年我去中国。míng nián wǒ qù zhōng guó.Next year I will go to China.
常见错误Common mistakes
-
✗我今年二十年。
✓我今年二十岁。
年 is used for years and dates, but age is expressed with 岁.
易混词Easily confused
年vs岁
年 refers to a year or years; 岁 is used for a person’s age, as in 二十岁 “twenty years old.”
义项All meanings
- Nián: surname Nian
- nián: year
- nián: grain; harvest (old); variant of 年