Meaning of 文化
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- culture
- civilization
- cultural
Measure word: 個|个,種|种
How to use 文化
文化 is used as a noun for culture or civilization, and it often sits before another noun to mean cultural. It also appears in the phrase 有文化 (yǒu wénhuà), meaning educated or well-read. Example: 我对中国文化很感兴趣。(Wǒ duì Zhōngguó wénhuà hěn gǎn xìngqù.) I am very interested in Chinese culture.
文 (wén) means writing, as in 中文 (Zhōngwén) and 作文 (zuòwén), and 化 (huà) means to change, as in 变化 (biànhuà). Think of culture as the way writing and learning slowly change and shape a people.
Common mistake: Learners often say 化 with the wrong tone. It is fourth tone huà, not the first tone of 花 (huā, flower), even though 花 contains 化. Also, 文化 does not mean the arts or entertainment events in a narrow sense, so use 文艺 (wényì) for literature and the arts.
文化 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
文 wén · language · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
化 huà · to make into · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Related words
Words that share a character with 文化.
| 中文 | Zhōngwén | Chinese language |
| 课文 | kèwén | text |
| 英文 | Yīngwén | English (language) |
| 作文 | zuòwén | to write an essay; composition (student essay) |
| 文件 | wénjiàn | document; file |
| 变化 | biànhuà | (intransitive) to change; to vary; change; variation |
| 文章 | wénzhāng | article; essay |
| 文明 | wénmíng | civilized; civilization |
| 文字 | wénzì | character; script |
| 文学 | wénxué | literature |
| 现代化 | xiàndàihuà | modernization |
| 外文 | wàiwén | foreign language (written) |
Questions about 文化
What does 文化 mean?
文化 (wénhuà) means "culture; civilization" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 文化?
文化 is made of 2 characters: 文 (4 strokes), 化 (4 strokes). That is 8 strokes in total.
Is 文化 an HSK word?
Yes. 文化 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do you say cultural differences in Chinese?
You say 文化差异 (wénhuà chāyì). In casual speech people also say 文化不同 (wénhuà bù tóng), meaning the cultures are different.
What does 没文化 mean?
没文化 (méi wénhuà) literally means having no culture, but it is used to say someone is uneducated or ignorant. It can sound rude, so be careful using it about other people.