华 meaning and stroke order
Flowery; illustrious; Chinese
How to write 华, stroke by stroke
6 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Meaning of 华
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- magnificent
- splendid
- flowery
- old variant of 花[hua1]
- flower
How 华 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Ten.
十 gives the meaning and 化 hints at the sound.
Radical: 十 (ten), shared by 23 characters on this site.
How to remember 华
华 (huá) is 化 (huà) on top of 十. 化 gives the sound, and you can picture something transforming (化) into ten (十) times more splendid, which is why 华 means magnificent and flowery.
华 most often appears in words about China and Chinese people, such as 中华 (Zhōnghuá) and 华人 (huárén), and in words about splendor, like 华丽 (huálì) and 豪华 (háohuá). Example: 这家酒店很豪华。(Zhè jiā jiǔdiàn hěn háohuá.) This hotel is very luxurious.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 华 (huá) with 花 (huā, flower) because they sound alike and 华 was once a variant of 花. In modern Chinese, write 花 for flowers and keep 华 for words like 华丽 and 中华, and remember 华 takes the second tone.
Common words with 华
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 华人 | huárén | ethnic Chinese person or people | HSK 3 |
| 中华民族 | Zhōnghuá Mínzú | the Chinese nation; the Chinese people (collective reference to all the ethnic groups in C | HSK 3 |
| 华语 | Huáyǔ | Chinese language | HSK 5 |
| 中华 | Zhōnghuá | Zhonghua, historical and cultural term for China, often used to denote Chinese civilizatio | HSK 6 |
| 才华 | cáihuá | talent | HSK 7-9 |
| 华丽 | huálì | gorgeous | HSK 7-9 |
| 豪华 | háohuá | luxurious | HSK 7-9 |
| 精华 | jīnghuá | best feature; most important part of an object | HSK 7-9 |
| 嘉年华 | jiāniánhuá | (loanword) carnival | HSK 7-9 |
| 繁华 | fánhuá | flourishing; bustling | HSK 7-9 |
| 华侨 | huáqiáo | overseas Chinese; (in a restricted sense) Chinese emigrant who still retains Chinese natio | HSK 7-9 |
| 华裔 | huáyì | ethnic Chinese; non-Chinese citizen of Chinese ancestry | HSK 7-9 |
| 豪华轿车 | háohuájiàochē | limousine; luxury carriage | |
| 奢华 | shēhuá | luxurious; sumptuous |
华 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 华
Learning 华 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 华
How many strokes are in 华?
华 is written with 6 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 华 mean?
华 (huá) means flowery; illustrious; Chinese. A common word with it is 华人 (huárén), meaning "ethnic Chinese person or people".
How do you pronounce 华?
华 is pronounced huá, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 华?
The radical of 华 is 十, which carries the idea of "ten". Dictionaries list 华 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 华?
The traditional form of 华 is 華. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 华 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 华 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 华 is part of the HSK 3 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 2.
What is the difference between 华人 and 中国人?
华人 (huárén) means ethnic Chinese people anywhere in the world, including overseas Chinese communities. 中国人 (Zhōngguó rén) usually refers to people of China as a country or its citizens.
What does 才华 mean and how is it used?
才华 (cáihuá) means talent, especially brilliant creative or intellectual ability. You might say 她很有才华 (tā hěn yǒu cáihuá), meaning she is very talented.