Chinese symbol for “instead”
反而
fǎn ér
on the contrary; instead
The closest CC-CEDICT match for instead is 反而 (fǎn ér), defined as: on the contrary; instead.
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Characters and stroke order
Other Chinese words for “instead”
Related words
Other words that share a character with 反而.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 反对 (反對) | fǎn duì | to oppose; to be against; to object to |
| 反应 (反應) | fǎn yìng | to react; to respond |
| 反映 | fǎn yìng | to mirror; to reflect |
| 违反 (違反) | wéi fǎn | to violate (a law) |
| 相反 | xiāng fǎn | opposite; contrary |
| 而且 | ér qiě | (not only ...) but also; moreover; in addition; furthermore |
| 然而 | rán ér | however; but; yet |
| 而是 | ér shì | rather |
See also: Japanese symbol for “instead”.
Data: CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0); Unihan Database (Unicode License v3); Make Me a Hanzi (Arphic Public License (graphics.txt); LGPL-3.0-or-later (dictionary.txt)); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.