华
huá
flowery
At a glance · 华

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

华 Evolution of the glyph
  1. 华 Object sketch
    Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
  2. 华 Oracle bone
    Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
  3. 华 Seal script
    Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
  4. 华 Clerical script
    Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
  5. 华 Regular script
    Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE
Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested:oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

「华」繁体「華」甲骨文象花萼下垂,金文小篆承之。

What the sketch shows

华 Object sketch

Origins & notes

「华」本义为花(通「花」),引申华丽、中华、光华。

Structure

从芔、从𠌶,会意字,象花形,本为花,后指华夏、光彩。简作华。

At a glance

Pinyinhuá
Radical十
Strokes6
UnicodeU+534E
Character type会意
Theme植物

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English flowery flowery; illustrious; Chinese
Français splendide / Chine Splendide, Chine (Huaxia). «都邑华夏» : la Chine.
Español espléndido / China Espléndido, China (Huaxia). «都邑华夏»: la China.
العربية فاخر / الصين فاخر، الصين (هوا-شيا). «都邑华夏»: الصين.
Русский пышный / Китай Пышный, Китай (Хуа-ся). «都邑华夏»: Китай.

Common words

  • 中华zhōng huáChina
  • 华丽huá lìgorgeous