Meaning of 香
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- fragrant
- sweet smelling
- aromatic
- savory or appetizing
- (to eat) with relish
- (of sleep) sound
- perfume or spice
- joss or incense stick
Measure word: 根
How to use 香
香 describes things that smell good, and it is also used for food that tastes or smells delicious. It can describe sound sleep too, as in 睡得很香 (shuì de hěn xiāng). Example: 这个菜真香。(Zhège cài zhēn xiāng.) This dish smells really good.
香 (xiāng) is 禾 (hé, grain) on top of 日 (rì, sun). Picture grain cooking in the warm sun and giving off a lovely smell.
Common mistake: Learners often write the top as 木 (mù, tree) instead of 禾 (hé), forgetting the short slanted stroke at the top. Also keep the first tone flat in xiāng, and do not confuse it with 想 (xiǎng, to think), which uses the third tone.
香 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.
香 xiāng · fragrant · 9 strokes
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- 9
Related words
Words that share a character with 香.
| 香蕉 | xiāngjiāo | banana |
| 香肠 | xiāngcháng | sausage |
| 香烟 | xiāngyān | smoke from incense (burned as an offering to one's ancestors); (fig.) continuation of fami |
| 香水 | xiāngshuǐ | perfume; cologne |
| 口香糖 | kǒuxiāngtáng | chewing gum |
| 香味 | xiāngwèi | fragrance; bouquet |
| 香料 | xiāngliào | spice; flavoring |
| 香油 | xiāngyóu | sesame oil; perfumed oil |
| 香槟 | xiāngbīn | (loanword) champagne |
| 香草 | xiāngcǎo | aromatic herb; vanilla |
| 真香 | zhēnxiāng | awesome (expression of approval used hypocritically after bitching about the exact same th |
| 香气 | xiāngqì | fragrance; aroma |
Questions about 香
What does 香 mean?
香 (xiāng) means "fragrant; sweet smelling" and is used as a adjective.
How do you write 香?
香 is made of 1 character: 香 (9 strokes). That is 9 strokes in total.
Is 香 an HSK word?
Yes. 香 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
Can 香 mean tasty, or only good-smelling?
It can mean both. When people say food is 香, they usually mean it smells and tastes appetizing. You might hear 吃得很香 (chī de hěn xiāng), which means someone is eating with real enjoyment.
Why does 香烟 (xiāngyān) mean cigarette?
Its original sense is smoke from incense burned as an offering, and it can figuratively mean the continuation of a family line. In everyday modern speech, 香烟 is also the common word for cigarettes.