Dictionary › 兰

兰

lán

Character Traditional 蘭

What 兰 means

1. orchid (兰花 Cymbidium goeringii)
2. fragrant thoroughwort (兰草 Eupatorium fortunei)
3. lily magnolia (木兰)

Other readings

兰 is 多音字 — it is read more than one way, and the reading changes the meaning.

• Lánsurname Lan; abbr. for Lanzhou {兰州|Lán zhōu}, Gansu

Example sentences

• 我住在米兰。
  Wǒ zhù zài Mǐlán.
  I live in Milan.
• 我是芬兰人。
  I'm Finnish.
• 我是梅兰妮。
  I'm Melanie.
• 芬兰是小国。
  Finland is a small country.
• 我们在芬兰。
  We are in Finland.
• 他爱古兰经。
  He loved the Quran.

Words starting with 兰

• 兰花lán huācymbidium; orchid
• 兰特Lán tèRand or Randt (name)
• 兰溪市Lán xī ShìLanxi, a county-level city in Jinhua City 金华市
• 兰斯Lán sīReims (city in France)
• 兰州市Lán zhōu ShìLanzhou, prefecture-level city and capital of Gansu Province 甘肃省
• 兰州大学Lán zhōu Dà xuéLanzhou University
• 兰交lán jiāoclose friendship; a meeting of minds
• 兰学lán xuéDutch studies (study of Europe and the world in premodern Japan)
• 兰新Lán XīnLanzhou and Xinjiang
• 兰科lán kēOrchidaceae
• 兰言lán yánintimate conversation
• 兰开斯特Lán kāi sī tèLancaster
• 兰室lán shìa lady's room (honorific)
• 兰章lán zhānga beautiful speech or piece of writing; your beautiful article (honorific)
• 兰花指lán huā zhǐhand gesture in traditional dances (joined thumb and middle finger, the rest extended)
• 兰山区Lán shān QūLanshan, a district of Linyi City 临沂市
• 兰若lán rěBuddhist temple (transliteration of Sanskrit "Aranyakah") (abbr. for 阿兰若
• 兰博基尼Lán bó jī níLamborghini (Italian car manufacturer)
• 兰姆lán mǔrum (beverage) (loanword)
• 兰姆打lán mǔ dǎlambda (Greek letter Λλ)
• 兰姆达lán mǔ dálambda (Greek letter Λλ)
• 兰姆酒lán mǔ jiǔrum (beverage) (loanword)
• 兰新铁路Lán xīn tiě lùLanzhou-Xinjiang railway
• 兰辛Lán xīnLansing, capital of Michigan

Words containing 兰

• 荷兰Hé lánHolland; the Netherlands
• 爱尔兰Ài ěr lánIreland
• 新西兰Xīn xī lánNew Zealand
• 米兰Mǐ lánMilano; Milan (Italy)
• 波兰Bō lánPoland
• 伊斯兰教Yī sī lán jiàoIslam
• 芬兰Fēn lánFinland
• 伊斯兰Yī sī lánIslam
• 苏格兰Sū gé lánScotland
• 英格兰Yīng gé lánEngland
• 乌克兰Wū kè lánUkraine
• 梅兰芳Méi Lán fāngMei Lanfang (1894-1961), famous master of Beijing opera, specialist in female roles
• 法兰克福Fǎ lán kè fúFrankfurt, Germany
• 法兰西Fǎ lán xīFrance
• 玉兰Yù lánYulan magnolia
• 古兰经Gǔ lán jīngthe Koran
• 白兰地bái lán dì(loanword) brandy
• 木兰mù lánlily magnolia (Magnolia liliflora)
• 楼兰Lóu lánLoulan, aka Kroraina, ancient oasis town on the Silk Road near Lop Nor 罗布泊
• 斯里兰卡Sī lǐ lán kǎSri Lanka
• 马兰Mǎ lánMalan military base and atomic test site in Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture…
• 亚特兰大Yà tè lán dàAtlanta
• 紫罗兰zǐ luó lán(botany) common stock; gillyflower (Matthiola incana); (botany) violet
• 冯友兰Féng Yǒu lánFeng Youlan (1895-1990), distinguished Chinese philosopher

Characters that look like 兰

Easy to confuse on sight. Compare them side by side once and the pair stops costing you.

• 至zhìto arrive; most; to
• 且qiěand; moreover; yet
• 王wángking or monarch; best or strongest of its type; grand
• 旦dàn(literary) dawn; daybreak; dan, female role in Chinese opera…
• 丑chǒuclown; 2nd earthly branch: 1-3 a.m., 12th solar month (6th January to 3rd February), year…
• 亘gènextending all the way across; running all the way through

Sounds the same

Read lán, tone for tone, but written differently.

• 篮basket (receptacle); basket (in basketball)
• 蓝blue; indigo plant
• 拦to block sb's path; to obstruct; to flag down (a taxi)
• 栏fence; railing; hurdle
• 婪avaricious
• 岚(bound form) mountain mist
• 澜swelling water
• 阑railing; balustrade; door-screen
• 斓used in 斑斓
• 镧lanthanum (chemistry)
• 褴used in 褴褛
• 谰to make a false charge