花 meaning and stroke order
Flower; blossom; fancy pattern
How to write 花, stroke by stroke
7 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
Meaning of 花
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- flower
- blossom
- fancy pattern
- florid
- to spend (money, time)
- (coll.) lecherous
How 花 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A flower 艹 in bloom 化; 化 also provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 艹 (grass), shared by 421 characters on this site.
How to remember 花
The grass radical 艹 sits on top of 化 (huà), which means to change or transform. Picture a plant that changes into something beautiful when it blooms, and 化 also hints at the sound huā.
花 (huā) is both a common noun for flowers and a very common verb meaning to spend money or time. As a verb it often takes 钱 (qián) or 时间 (shíjiān) as its object. Example: 我花了很多钱。(Wǒ huā le hěn duō qián.) I spent a lot of money.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 花 (huā) with 化 (huà), its own bottom part, so remember that 花 has the grass radical on top and a first tone. Another trap is using 花 for spending time casually where 用 (yòng) or 过 (guò) sounds more natural, but 花时间 (huā shíjiān) is correct when stressing effort or cost.
Common words with 花
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 花园 | huāyuán | garden (for flowers, ornamental plants etc); (landscaped) park; yard with decorative plant | HSK 2 |
| 鲜花 | xiānhuā | flower; fresh flowers | HSK 4 |
| 开花 | kāihuā | to bloom; to blossom; to flower; (fig.) to burst; to split open | HSK 4 |
| 桃花 | táohuā | peach blossom; (fig.) love affair | HSK 5 |
| 花费 | huāfèi | expense; cost | HSK 6 |
| 花生 | huāshēng | peanut | HSK 6 |
| 花瓶 | huāpíng | flower vase; (fig.) female employee considered to be just a pretty face (attractive but no | HSK 6 |
| 烟花 | yānhuā | fireworks; prostitute (esp. in Yuan theater) | HSK 6 |
| 梅花 | méihuā | plum blossom; clubs ♣ (a suit in card games) | HSK 6 |
| 棉花 | miánhuā | cotton | HSK 7-9 |
| 火花 | huǒhuā | spark; sparkle | HSK 7-9 |
| 菊花 | júhuā | chrysanthemum; (TCM) chrysanthemum flower | HSK 7-9 |
| 花样 | huāyàng | pattern; way of doing sth | HSK 7-9 |
| 花瓣 | huābàn | petal | HSK 7-9 |
花 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 花
How many strokes are in 花?
花 is written with 7 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 花 mean?
花 (huā) means flower; blossom; fancy pattern. A common word with it is 花园 (huāyuán), meaning "garden (for flowers, ornamental plants etc); (landscaped) park; yard with decorative plant".
How do you pronounce 花?
花 is pronounced huā, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 花?
The radical of 花 is 艹, which carries the idea of "grass". Dictionaries list 花 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 花?
The traditional form of 花 is 芲 and 蘤. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 花 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 花 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 花 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 花生 mean peanut if 花 means flower?
In 花生 (huāshēng) the peanut plant flowers and then its stalk grows down into the soil where the nut develops, so the name links the flower to what it produces. Today the word is simply learned as a whole meaning peanut.
Can 花 describe something other than flowers, like patterns or eyesight?
Yes. 花 can mean patterned or colorful, as in 花衣服 (huā yīfu) patterned clothes, and it can mean blurry, as in 眼花 (yǎnhuā) having blurred vision. It can also mean flirtatious in casual speech, as in 花心 (huāxīn) fickle in love.