明 meaning and stroke order
Bright, clear; to explain, to understand, to shed light
How to write 明, stroke by stroke
8 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
- 7
- 8
Meaning of 明
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- bright
- opposite: dark 暗[an4]
- (of meaning) clear
- to understand
- next
- public or open
How 明 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. The light of the sun 日 and moon 月.
Radical: 日 (sun), shared by 116 characters on this site.
How to remember 明
明 (míng) puts the sun 日 next to the moon 月. With both lights shining together, everything is bright and clear.
明 rarely stands alone in speech. It mostly appears in words like 明白 (míngbai, to understand), 明天 (míngtiān, tomorrow) and 说明 (shuōmíng, to explain). Example: 我明白了。(Wǒ míngbai le.) I understand now.
Common mistake: Learners often write the left part as 目 (eye) or make it as tall as 月, but it is a narrow 日 with only one middle stroke. Also note that in 明白 the second syllable is usually said in the neutral tone, míngbai, not míngbái.
Common words with 明
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 明白 | míngbai | clear; obvious; unequivocal; sensible; reasonable | HSK 1 |
| 明天 | míngtiān | tomorrow | HSK 1 |
| 明年 | míngnián | next year | HSK 1 |
| 说明 | shuōmíng | to explain; to illustrate | HSK 2 |
| 明星 | míngxīng | star; celebrity | HSK 2 |
| 证明 | zhèngmíng | proof; certificate | HSK 3 |
| 明显 | míngxiǎn | clear; distinct | HSK 3 |
| 发明 | fāmíng | to invent; an invention | HSK 3 |
| 表明 | biǎomíng | to make clear; to make known | HSK 3 |
| 文明 | wénmíng | civilized; civilization | HSK 3 |
| 明确 | míngquè | clear-cut; definite; explicit; to clarify; to specify; to make definite | HSK 3 |
| 声明 | shēngmíng | to state; to declare | HSK 3 |
| 光明 | guāngmíng | light; radiance | HSK 3 |
| 透明 | tòumíng | transparent; (fig.) transparent; open to scrutiny | HSK 4 |
明 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 明
Learning 明 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 明
How many strokes are in 明?
明 is written with 8 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 明 mean?
明 (míng) means bright, clear; to explain, to understand, to shed light. A common word with it is 明白 (míngbai), meaning "clear; obvious; unequivocal; sensible; reasonable".
How do you pronounce 明?
明 is pronounced míng, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 明?
The radical of 明 is 日, which carries the idea of "sun". Dictionaries list 明 under this radical.
Is 明 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 明 is part of the HSK 1 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 1.
Why does 明 mean next, as in 明天 and 明年?
In time words, 明 marks the coming one: 明天 (míngtiān) is tomorrow and 明年 (míngnián) is next year. It pairs with 今 (jīn) for today and this year, as in 今天 and 今年.
What is the difference between 明白 and 知道?
知道 (zhīdào) means you know a fact. 明白 (míngbai) means something has become clear to you, so you understand it. You say 我知道他的名字 for knowing his name, but 我明白你的意思 for understanding what someone means.