化 meaning in English

huà

to make into; to change into

HSK 3suffix4 strokes

Meaning of 化

Definitions from CC-CEDICT.

huà

to make into
to change into
-ization
to ... -ize
to transform
abbr. for 化學|化学[hua4 xue2]

huā

variant of 花[hua1]

How to use 化

化 often works like the English suffix -ize or -ization, turning a noun or adjective into a process, as in 现代化 (xiàndàihuà, modernization). It also appears in many common words about change, such as 变化 (biànhuà), 文化 (wénhuà), and 消化 (xiāohuà). Example: 中国变化很大。(Zhōngguó biànhuà hěn dà.) China has changed a lot.

化 (huà) shows a standing person 亻 next to a figure like 匕 that looks like a person turned upside down. Picture someone flipping over and becoming something new, and you have "to change into."

Common mistake: Learners often confuse 化 (huà) with 花 (huā, flower), which has the grass radical 艹 on top and a first tone. Also, 化 cannot stand alone as a verb in casual speech the way 变 (biàn) can, so say 天气变了 rather than 天气化了.

化 in example sentences

Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.

他tā们men有yǒu他tā们men自zì己jǐ的de文wén化huà。

They had a culture of their own.

它tā有yǒu利lì于yú我wǒ们men理lǐ解jiě其qí他tā文wén化huà。

It's good for our understanding of other cultures.

年nián轻qīng人rén有yǒu自zì己jǐ的de文wén化huà。

Youth has its own culture.

学xué习xí外wài国guó文wén化huà是shì件jiàn有yǒu趣qù的de事shì。

It's fun to learn about foreign cultures.

学xué习xí其qí他tā国guó家jiā的de文wén化huà很hěn有yǒu趣qù。

Learning about other countries' cultures is very interesting.

Stroke order for each character

Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.

化 huà · to make into · 4 strokes

Related words

Words that share a character with 化.

变化	biànhuà	(intransitive) to change; to vary; change; variation
文化	wénhuà	culture; civilization
现代化	xiàndàihuà	modernization
消化	xiāohuà	to digest (food); (fig.) to absorb (information etc); to assimilate; to process
进化	jìnhuà	to evolve (biologically, technologically etc); evolution
化石	huàshí	fossil
转化	zhuǎnhuà	to change; to turn; to convert; (genetics) to transform
强化	qiánghuà	to strengthen; to intensify
化解	huàjiě	to dissolve; to resolve (contradictions)
绿化	lǜhuà	to make green with plants; to reforest
深化	shēnhuà	to deepen; to intensify
融化	rónghuà	to melt; to thaw

Questions about 化

What does 化 mean?

化 (huà) means "to make into; to change into" and is used as a suffix.

How do you write 化?

化 is made of 1 character: 化 (4 strokes). That is 4 strokes in total.

Is 化 an HSK word?

Yes. 化 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.

Can I add 化 to any word to make an -ize word?

Not freely. 化 attaches to set words, often two-character ones, like 现代化 (modernization) or 全球化 (quánqiúhuà, globalization). It is best to learn each combination as a vocabulary item instead of inventing new ones.

What does 化 mean when it appears alone in a school context?

It can be short for 化学 (huàxué, chemistry), for example in 理化 (lǐhuà, physics and chemistry). In words like 化石 (huàshí, fossil), it keeps its sense of something transformed over time.