Meaning of 梅花
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- plum blossom
- clubs ♣ (a suit in card games)
- (dialect) wintersweet
How to use 梅花
梅花 is the classic winter flower in Chinese culture, often used in poems and paintings as a symbol of strength in the cold. In card games it also names the clubs suit. Example: 冬天梅花开了。(Dōngtiān méihuā kāi le.) The plum blossoms bloomed in winter.
梅 (méi) has the tree radical 木 on the left, so think of a tree whose flowers 花 (huā) open first. The plum tree 梅 plus flower 花 gives you the plum blossom.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 梅 (méi, plum) with 每 (měi, every) or 海 (hǎi, sea), which share the 每 part. Also, 梅 is second tone méi, not third tone měi like 每.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
梅 méi · plum · 11 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
花 huā · flower · 7 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
Related words
Words that share a character with 梅花.
| 花园 | huāyuán | garden (for flowers, ornamental plants etc); (landscaped) park; yard with decorative plant |
| 鲜花 | xiānhuā | flower; fresh flowers |
| 开花 | kāihuā | to bloom; to blossom; to flower; (fig.) to burst; to split open |
| 桃花 | táohuā | peach blossom; (fig.) love affair |
| 花费 | huāfèi | expense; cost |
| 花生 | huāshēng | peanut |
| 花瓶 | huāpíng | flower vase; (fig.) female employee considered to be just a pretty face (attractive but no |
| 烟花 | yānhuā | fireworks; prostitute (esp. in Yuan theater) |
| 棉花 | miánhuā | cotton |
| 火花 | huǒhuā | spark; sparkle |
| 菊花 | júhuā | chrysanthemum; (TCM) chrysanthemum flower |
| 花样 | huāyàng | pattern; way of doing sth |
Questions about 梅花
What does 梅花 mean?
梅花 (méihuā) means "plum blossom; clubs ♣ (a suit in card games)" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 梅花?
梅花 is made of 2 characters: 梅 (11 strokes), 花 (7 strokes). That is 18 strokes in total.
Is 梅花 an HSK word?
Yes. 梅花 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
Is 梅花 the same as a cherry blossom?
No. Cherry blossom is 樱花 (yīnghuā). 梅花 is the Chinese plum (Prunus mume), which blooms in late winter, earlier than cherry or peach blossoms like 桃花 (táohuā).
How do I say the other card suits in Chinese?
Besides 梅花 for clubs, spades are 黑桃 (hēitáo), hearts are 红桃 (hóngtáo), and diamonds are 方块 (fāngkuài). For example, 梅花三 (méihuā sān) means the three of clubs.