扩 meaning and stroke order
To enlarge
How to write 扩, 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 扩
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to enlarge
How 扩 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Wide.
广 gives the meaning and 扌 hints at the sound.
Radical: 扌 (hand), shared by 342 characters on this site.
How to remember 扩
A hand 扌 on the left pushes outward on 广, which suggests something wide, like a broad building. Picture your hand pushing the walls of a wide hall even wider to enlarge it: 扩 (kuò).
扩 almost never stands alone. It appears in compound words like 扩大 (kuòdà, to expand) and 扩展 (kuòzhǎn, to extend). Example: 公司想扩大市场。(Gōngsī xiǎng kuòdà shìchǎng.) The company wants to expand its market.
Common mistake: Learners often write 扩 as 护 (hù, to protect), since both have 扌 on the left. Remember that 扩 has 广 (wide) on the right, while 护 has 户 (door).
Common words with 扩
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
扩 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 扩
How many strokes are in 扩?
扩 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 扩 mean?
扩 (kuò) means to enlarge. A common word with it is 扩大 (kuòdà), meaning "to expand; to enlarge".
How do you pronounce 扩?
扩 is pronounced kuò, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 扩?
The radical of 扩 is 扌, which carries the idea of "hand". Dictionaries list 扩 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 扩?
The traditional form of 扩 is 擴. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 扩 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 扩 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 扩 is part of the HSK 4 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 扩大 and 扩展?
扩大 (kuòdà) means to make something bigger in size, scope or amount, such as 扩大影响 (expand influence). 扩展 (kuòzhǎn) stresses extending outward or into new areas, such as 扩展业务 (extend the business) or a browser extension, 扩展程序.
Is 扩散 used in a medical sense?
Yes. 扩散 (kuòsàn) can describe cancer spreading, as in 癌细胞扩散了 (the cancer cells have spread). It is also used for news, smells or diseases spreading in general.