红 meaning and stroke order
Red; popular; revolutionary
How to write 红, 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 红
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- red
- popular
- revolutionary
- bonus
- used in 女紅|女红[nu : 3 gong1]
How 红 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Silk.
纟 gives the meaning and 工 hints at the sound.
Radical: 纟 (silk), shared by 143 characters on this site.
How to remember 红
红 combines 纟 (silk) with 工 (gōng), which hints at the sound. Picture a worker (工) dyeing silk thread (纟) a bright red.
红 (hóng) is the everyday word for red, and it also means popular, as in a celebrity who is very 红. It appears in many common words like 红包 (hóngbāo) and 红茶 (hóngchá). Example: 她的脸红了。(Tā de liǎn hóng le.) Her face turned red.
Common mistake: Learners often assume 红茶 (hóngchá) means red tea, but it is black tea in English. Also, do not mix up 红 with 江 (jiāng, river), which has the same 工 but the water radical 氵 instead of silk 纟.
Common words with 红
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 红色 | hóngsè | red (color); revolutionary | HSK 2 |
| 红酒 | hóngjiǔ | red wine | HSK 3 |
| 红茶 | hóngchá | black tea | HSK 3 |
| 红包 | hóngbāo | money wrapped in red as a gift; bonus payment | HSK 4 |
| 西红柿 | xīhóngshì | tomato | HSK 5 |
| 通红 | tōnghóng | very red; red through and through | HSK 6 |
| 红灯 | hóngdēng | red light | HSK 7-9 |
| 分红 | fēnhóng | dividend; to award a bonus | HSK 7-9 |
| 眼红 | yǎnhóng | to covet; envious | HSK 7-9 |
| 红火 | hónghuo | prosperous | HSK 7-9 |
| 红润 | hóngrùn | ruddy; rosy | HSK 7-9 |
| 红薯 | hóngshǔ | sweet potato | HSK 7-9 |
| 红眼 | hóngyǎn | to become infuriated; to see red | HSK 7-9 |
| 朱红 | zhūhóng | vermilion | HSK 7-9 |
红 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 红
How many strokes are in 红?
红 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 红 mean?
红 (hóng) means red; popular; revolutionary. A common word with it is 红色 (hóngsè), meaning "red (color); revolutionary".
How do you pronounce 红?
红 is pronounced hóng, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 红?
The radical of 红 is 纟, which carries the idea of "silk". Dictionaries list 红 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 红?
The traditional form of 红 is 紅. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 红 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 红 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 红 is part of the HSK 2 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 2.
Why is a cash gift in China called 红包?
红包 (hóngbāo) literally means red packet. Money is given in red envelopes at Spring Festival, weddings and birthdays because red stands for luck and celebration. The word also means a bonus payment at work.
Is 红 ever pronounced gōng?
Yes, but only in the rare literary word 女红 (nǚgōng), meaning needlework done by women. In every other common word, read it as hóng.