Meaning of 污染
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- (lit. and fig.) to pollute; to contaminate
How to use 污染
污染 works as a verb (to pollute) and very often as a noun (pollution), as in 空气污染 (kōngqì wūrǎn, air pollution) or 环境污染 (huánjìng wūrǎn, environmental pollution). Example: 工厂污染了这条河。(Gōngchǎng wūrǎn le zhè tiáo hé.) The factory polluted this river.
Both characters carry the water radical 氵. 污 (wū) is dirty water and 染 (rǎn) is to dye, so 污染 is like dirty water dyeing everything it touches.
Common mistake: Learners often write 染 with 九 on top as 丸 or drop the water radical, but it is 氵 plus 九 above 木. Also note 染 is third tone (rǎn), not rán like 然.
污染 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.
污 wū · filthy · 6 strokes
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染 rǎn · to dye · 9 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 污染.
| 污水 | wūshuǐ | sewage |
| 感染 | gǎnrǎn | to infect; infection; (fig.) to influence |
| 传染 | chuánrǎn | to infect; contagious |
| 传染病 | chuánrǎnbìng | infectious disease; contagious disease; communicable disease |
| 污秽 | wūhuì | (literary) dirty; filthy; (literary) dirt; filth |
| 贪污 | tānwū | to be corrupt; corruption |
| 感染力 | gǎnrǎnlì | infectiousness (of a disease); appeal; power; impact (of an image, marketing message, perf |
| 染上 | rǎnshàng | to catch (a disease); to get (a bad habit) |
| 玷污 | diànwū | to stain; to sully |
| 污点 | wūdiǎn | stain; taint |
| 有染 | yǒurǎn | to have an affair with sb |
| 污垢 | wūgòu | dirt; filth; grime |
Questions about 污染
What does 污染 mean?
污染 (wūrǎn) means "(lit. and fig.) to pollute; to contaminate" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 污染?
污染 is made of 2 characters: 污 (6 strokes), 染 (9 strokes). That is 15 strokes in total.
Is 污染 an HSK word?
Yes. 污染 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
Can 污染 be used for things other than the environment?
Yes. It can describe contaminating food or water, and figuratively a bad influence on minds or culture, as in 精神污染 (jīngshén wūrǎn, spiritual pollution). It can also mean data or samples being contaminated.
What is the difference between 污染 and 感染?
污染 means making something dirty or polluted, usually the environment or a substance. 感染 (gǎnrǎn) means to infect, as with a virus or wound, or figuratively to move or influence someone emotionally.