难 nán
“difficult (to...); problem; difficulty”
adverbial adjective, adjective, verbHSK 3 · 2021 list level 1Traditional 難
新HSK等级2025 HSK 3.0 syllabus level
难 appears in the November 2025 exam syllabus in the following numbered entry. Levels refer to the listed reading and use, not every meaning.
- Entry 778: 难 nán — Level 3; official annotation 3（6） (形、（动）). PDF page 99
Separate from the HSK 2.0 and 2021 list labels above. Compare the three lists.
用法How to use 难
难 (nán) means 'difficult, hard' and describes a thing or an action that is not easy. It is usually an adjective, coming after 很/不 or before a verb (难写, 难学); as an adjective it does not take an object. The separate reading nàn means 'disaster' or 'distress' and appears in words such as 灾难 and 难民, not in the examples here.
例句Example sentences
- 今天的作业很难。jīn tiān de zuò yè hěn nán.Today's homework is very difficult.
- 这个汉字很难写。zhè ge hàn zì hěn nán xiě.This Chinese character is hard to write.
- 汉语不难，可是汉字很难。hàn yǔ bù nán, kě shì hàn zì hěn nán.Chinese isn't hard, but the characters are hard.
常见错误Common mistakes
-
✗这个字很难度。
✓这个字很难。
难 alone is the adjective; 难度 is a noun meaning 'level of difficulty' and is not used after 很.
深度指南Grammar & comparison guides
义项All meanings
- nán: difficult (to...); problem; difficulty; difficult; not good
- nàn: disaster; distress; to scold