晚安
wǎn ān · HSK 2
night
🌙 晚安 = late + peace; 'late-night peace' said at bedtime
晚 (wǎn) means late or evening; 安 (ān) means peace or calm (a 女 woman safe under a 宀 roof). Together they form the standard bedtime farewell, literally wishing someone a peaceful night.
晚 — sun 日 + 免 (avoid/phonetic)
晚 combines 日 (sun) as the meaning component with 免 as the phonetic. The sun element signals a time of day, while 免 hints at the pronunciation wǎn. Originally it referred to the late part of the day when the sun is setting, and from there extended to mean 'late' in a general sense.
安 — roof 宀 + woman 女
A pictographic compound showing a woman 女 under a roof 宀, suggesting safety and tranquility at home. The original meaning 'peaceful, calm, safe' has remained stable since oracle bone script. It later extended to verbs like 'to settle' or 'to install'.