華 meaning and stroke order
Flowery; illustrious; Chinese
How to write 華, stroke by stroke
11 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
- 9
- 10
- 11
Meaning of 華
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- magnificent
- splendid
- flowery
- old variant of 花[hua1]
- flower
How 華 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Ten.
十 gives the meaning and 艹 hints at the sound.
Radical: 艹 (grass), shared by 421 characters on this site.
How to remember 華
華 has grass 艹 on top and a 十 (ten) running through the middle, like a plant covered in many blossoms. A plant bursting with flowers looks splendid, which is how 華 (huá) came to mean magnificent and flowery.
華 is the traditional form, used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and many overseas communities, while mainland China writes 华. It appears in words about China and Chinese people, such as 中華 (Zhōnghuá) and 華人 (huárén), and in words about splendor or talent, like 豪華 (háohuá) and 才華 (cáihuá). Example: 他很有才華。(Tā hěn yǒu cáihuá.) He is very talented.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 華 (huá) with 花 (huā, flower) because they look and sound alike. In modern Chinese, use 花 for an actual flower and 華 for splendid or Chinese, as in 華麗 (huálì, gorgeous).
Common words with 華
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 華人 | huárén | ethnic Chinese person or people | HSK 3 |
| 中華民族 | Zhōnghuá Mínzú | the Chinese nation; the Chinese people (collective reference to all the ethnic groups in C | HSK 3 |
| 華語 | Huáyǔ | Chinese language | HSK 5 |
| 中華 | Zhōnghuá | Zhonghua, historical and cultural term for China, often used to denote Chinese civilizatio | HSK 6 |
| 才華 | cáihuá | talent | HSK 7-9 |
| 華麗 | huálì | gorgeous | HSK 7-9 |
| 豪華 | háohuá | luxurious | HSK 7-9 |
| 精華 | jīnghuá | best feature; most important part of an object | HSK 7-9 |
| 嘉年華 | jiāniánhuá | (loanword) carnival | HSK 7-9 |
| 繁華 | fánhuá | flourishing; bustling | HSK 7-9 |
| 華僑 | huáqiáo | overseas Chinese; (in a restricted sense) Chinese emigrant who still retains Chinese natio | HSK 7-9 |
| 華裔 | huáyì | ethnic Chinese; non-Chinese citizen of Chinese ancestry | HSK 7-9 |
| 豪華轎車 | háohuájiàochē | limousine; luxury carriage | |
| 奢華 | shēhuá | luxurious; sumptuous |
Characters that contain 華
Learning 華 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 華
How many strokes are in 華?
華 is written with 11 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 華 mean?
華 (huá) means flowery; illustrious; Chinese. A common word with it is 华人 (huárén), meaning "ethnic Chinese person or people".
How do you pronounce 華?
華 is pronounced huá, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 華?
The radical of 華 is 艹, which carries the idea of "grass". Dictionaries list 華 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 華?
華 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 华, used in mainland China and Singapore.
Why does 華 mean Chinese?
華 has long been part of names for Chinese civilization, as in 中華 (Zhōnghuá). Today it forms words like 華人 (huárén, ethnic Chinese people) and 華語 (Huáyǔ, the Chinese language).
What is the difference between 華人 and 中國人?
華人 (huárén) refers to ethnic Chinese people anywhere in the world, including overseas communities. 中國人 (Zhōngguórén) usually refers to people of China as a country or nationality.