Chinese character for face

It names the face, especially its outward appearance. In Chinese compounds, 顏色 means color, while 顏面 can mean face, dignity, or reputation.

The earliest known written evidence is an inscription on a Western Zhou bronze vessel, 九年衛鼎. One reading of the bronze form treats 面 as the meaning-bearing part and 产 as a sound cue. The early Chinese character dictionary 說文解字 parses the later form as 頁, meaning head, plus 彥 as a sound cue; a manuscript from the ancient state of Chu uses 色, meaning color or complexion.

The early sense was the forehead or the space between the eyebrows. Later uses widened to the whole face, expression, complexion, color, and by association dignity or reputation.

Is 顏 the same as 颜 or 顔?

They are regional written forms of the same character. As of 2026, Traditional Chinese text in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau uses 顏, while Simplified Chinese text uses 颜. Japanese uses 顔 as its shinjitai, a simplified character form; 顔 also occurs in Korean Hanja writing. A name or quotation should follow the writing standard of its context.

In the name 顏回, 顏 is a surname, not a word to translate as “face.” Read the surrounding name as a name.