Zhè niándài yǐjīng méi jǐ ge xuésheng yòng qiānbǐ le.
Few students use pencils these days.
Sentence #10298020 from Tatoeba · converted to simplified characters
How 年代 is built
Each colour is one part of the character. Parts repeat across thousands of characters, so learning them makes new words easier. See all 214 in our radicals chart.
年niányear
年 is a single shape of 6 strokes. Learn it whole, then watch its stroke order below.
Memory aidA person carrying ripe grain: one harvest, one year.
代dàito be a substitute for
亻person form of 人 · rén
弋shoot · yì
How to write 年代
年 6 strokes · 代 5 strokes
Watch the order, then press Try writing it and draw each stroke in the grid. Each stroke is checked as you go.
Stroke order chart for 年代 (niándài). Red marks the next stroke, so you can copy it onto paper one step at a time.
年代 (niándài) means “a decade of a century (e.g. the Sixties)” or “age”. It is an HSK 5 word.
Say it niándài: nián with a 2nd tone, then dài with a 4th tone. Press Listen at the top of this page to hear it, or Slowly to hear each tone clearly.
Yes. 年代 is written the same way in Simplified and Traditional characters.
Use 个 (gè). For example, one a decade of a century (e.g. the Sixties) is 一个年代 (yí ge niándài).
Add a Chinese (Simplified) pinyin keyboard to your phone or computer, type niandai with no tone marks or spaces, then choose 年代 from the suggestions. Typing niandai into this dictionary’s search box finds it too.
年代 is an HSK 5 word in the HSK 2.0 word lists.
Turn words into conversations
A dictionary gives you the words. A native teacher shows you how to use them. Start with a free 30-minute intro call.
Sources: meaning and pinyin checked by a native Mandarin teacher against the official HSK lists. Extra meanings from CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0). Example sentences from Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR). Character parts and stroke order from Make Me a Hanzi.
年nián2nd tone, rising
代dài4th tone, falling
