niñón

Nián is the Mandarin pinyin rendering of the Chinese character 年, which primarily means “year.” It denotes calendar years, the concept of age, and annual events. The character is a common component in time-related words and expressions, such as 年份 (year), 年度 (annual/yearly), 年龄 (age), and 新年 (New Year). In everyday usage, it also appears in phrases like 今年 (this year), 去年 (last year), and 明年 (next year).

In calendar usage, 年 identifies a year within the traditional Chinese timekeeping system. Historically, years were labeled within the sexagenary cycle, a combination of heavenly stems and earthly branches used to distinguish years over a 60-year period. This cyclical labeling remains a feature of traditional timekeeping and cultural references, even as modern calendars largely rely on the Gregorian year numbering.

Culturally, 年 is closely associated with the Chinese New Year and related seasonal customs. A popular legend centers on the Nian, a mythical monster said to appear at year’s end. According to folklore, villagers warded off the creature with red decorations, loud noises, and fire, practices that evolved into the festive atmosphere and rituals of the New Year celebration.

Linguistically, the same character is read as nián in Mandarin and has cognates in other East Asian languages: Japanese (nen or toshi), Korean (nyeon), and Vietnamese (niên). In each language, 年 retains the core meaning related to year and time, while appearing in many compound terms and cultural expressions.