ruan

R1U1A1N1

noun

A Chinese long-necked fretted round-bodied plucked lute which has, since the mid-20th century, been produced in a family of five sizes (from low to high).

Similar
ruanqin
OriginMandarin 阮 →
UncommonScrabble 4
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Meanings

ruan1

nounruan (plural ruans)

plural ruans

  1. entertainmentA Chinese long-necked fretted round-bodied plucked lute which has, since the mid-20th century, been produced in a family of five sizes (from low to high).

    Synonyms: ruanqin

Ruan2

proper noun
  1. A village between Ennis and Corofin, County Clare, Ireland.
  2. A village and commune in Loiret department, Centre-Val de Loire, France.
  3. A surname.
  4. A male given name.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA Chinese long-necked fretted round-bodied plucked lute which has, since the mid-20th century, been produced in a family of five sizes (from low to high).

Similar
ruanqin
Also see
ruanqin

Origin

  1. Mandarin阮
  2. Englishruan

Borrowed from Mandarin 阮 (short for 阮咸, ruǎnxián).

More words from Mandarin

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

ArunurnaUran
Cite this entry
APA

ruan. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ruan

MLA

“ruan.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ruan. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ruan,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ruan.

Source: ruan on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.