Meaning of 汉字
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- Chinese character(s)
How to use 汉字
汉字 is the everyday word for Chinese characters, used when talking about reading, writing, or learning them. It is often paired with verbs like 写 (xiě, to write) and 认识 (rènshi, to recognize). Example: 我会写很多汉字。(Wǒ huì xiě hěn duō Hànzì.) I can write many Chinese characters.
汉 (Hàn) refers to the Han Chinese people, and 字 (zì) means a written character. Put them together and you get the characters of the Han people: Chinese characters.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 汉字 (Hànzì, characters) and 汉语 (Hànyǔ, the Chinese language). You learn 汉语 as a language, but you write 汉字 with a pen.
汉字 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.
汉 hàn · Chinese people · 5 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
字 zì · letter · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Related words
Words that share a character with 汉字.
| 名字 | míngzi | name (of a person or thing) |
| 汉语 | Hànyǔ | Chinese language |
| 数字 | shùzì | numeral; digit |
| 字典 | zìdiǎn | Chinese character dictionary (containing entries for single characters, contrasted with a |
| 文字 | wénzì | character; script |
| 字母 | zìmǔ | letter (of the alphabet) |
| 签字 | qiānzì | to sign (one's name); signature |
| 识字 | shízì | to learn to read; able to read; literate |
| 写字楼 | xiězìlóu | office building |
| 写字台 | xiězìtái | writing desk |
| 字幕 | zìmù | subtitles; captions (of a movie etc) |
| 金字塔 | jīnzìtǎ | pyramid (building or structure) |
Questions about 汉字
What does 汉字 mean?
汉字 (Hànzì) means "Chinese character(s)" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 汉字?
汉字 is made of 2 characters: 汉 (5 strokes), 字 (6 strokes). That is 11 strokes in total.
Is 汉字 an HSK word?
Yes. 汉字 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 汉字 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 汉字 is written 漢字.
What is the difference between 汉字 and 文字?
汉字 means Chinese characters specifically. 文字 (wénzì) is broader and means a writing system or script in general, so English letters or Arabic script are also 文字.
How do I say how many characters I know?
Use 认识 (rènshi) with a number and the measure word 个 (gè). For example, 我认识五百个汉字。(Wǒ rènshi wǔbǎi gè Hànzì.) means I know five hundred Chinese characters.