爍 meaning and stroke order
To sparkle, to shine, to glitter
How to write 爍, stroke by stroke
19 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 爍
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- bright
- luminous
How 爍 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. The happy 樂 light of a flame 火.
Radical: 火 (fire), shared by 128 characters on this site.
How to remember 爍
爍 is a flame 火 on the left next to 樂 (lè, happy) on the right. Picture a happy, dancing flame that sparkles and glitters.
爍 rarely appears alone in modern Chinese. You will mostly meet it in the word 閃爍 (shǎnshuò), which describes twinkling lights or, figuratively, someone being vague and evasive. Example: 天上的星星在閃爍。(Tiān shàng de xīngxing zài shǎnshuò.) The stars in the sky are twinkling.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 爍 with 礫 (lì, gravel) or 鑠 (shuò, to melt metal), which share the 樂 part. Check the left side: only 爍 has the fire radical 火. Also note that 樂 here does not keep its sound lè or yuè, so 爍 is read shuò.
Common words with 爍
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 閃爍 | shǎnshuò | to glisten; to glitter; to twinkle; to flicker; to be evasive; to equivocate | HSK 7-9 |
Questions about 爍
How many strokes are in 爍?
爍 is written with 19 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 爍 mean?
爍 (shuò) means to sparkle, to shine, to glitter. A common word with it is 闪烁 (shǎnshuò), meaning "to glisten; to glitter; to twinkle; to flicker; to be evasive; to equivocate".
How do you pronounce 爍?
爍 is pronounced shuò, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 爍?
The radical of 爍 is 火, which carries the idea of "fire". Dictionaries list 爍 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 爍?
爍 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 烁, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What does 閃爍其詞 mean?
閃爍其詞 (shǎnshuò qí cí) means to speak evasively or beat around the bush. It uses the flickering sense of 閃爍 to describe words that avoid a clear answer.
Is 爍 the same as 爍 in the simplified word 闪烁?
Yes. 闪烁 is the simplified spelling and 閃爍 is the traditional spelling of the same word. In simplified Chinese, 爍 is written 烁, with 乐 replacing 樂 on the right.