difficult; hard; unlikely; hardly (难免, 难怪); unpleasant (难听, 难看)
难 read nán is hard to do; read nàn it is a disaster or calamity.
GF0025–2021 character list · 一级, 五级WHOLE GLYPH & STRUCTURE
ZDIC says the formation was originally 形声 for the traditional 難; the simplified left piece is a shorthand, so no sound or meaning claim is made for the modern split.
WHOLE CHARACTER
difficult; hard; unlikely; hardly (难免, 难怪); unpleasant (难听, 难看)
难 read nán is hard to do; read nàn it is a disaster or calamity.
ZDIC says the formation was originally 形声 for the traditional 難; the simplified left piece is a shorthand, so no sound or meaning claim is made for the modern split.
SIMPLIFICATION STROKE PIECE
again; right hand in older use
Standalone meaning is kept separate from its role in other characters.
In 难: simplification stroke piece A shorthand piece introduced by simplification; the traditional 難 used 堇 on the left.
RIGHT-SIDE PIECE FROM THE TRADITIONAL FORM
short-tailed bird (in dictionaries)
Mostly a right-side piece; kept separate from the unclaimed role in 难.
In 难: right-side piece from the traditional form Carried over from the traditional 難; the dictionary bird meaning is not claimed here.
No common modern word is offered for this reading; the dictionary sense remains in Sources.
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