照
shine; illumine; reflect
At a glance · 照
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.
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.
小篆从火（灬），昭声，本义为光线照射。隶变后楷作「照」，下从灬（火）。未见独立甲骨文形态，形声结构清晰。
What the sketch shows
Origins & notes
本义为光线投射、照耀，引申为照料、对照。
Structure
形声字，从火（意符，光热），昭（zhāo）为声符。
At a glance
Pinyinzhào
Radical灬
Strokes13
UnicodeU+7167
Character type形声
Theme动作
Six languages, one character
Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.
English
shine; illumine; reflect
To shine upon, illumine, or reflect.
Français
briller; éclairer; refléter
Briller, éclairer ou refléter.
Español
brillar; iluminar; reflejar
Brillar, iluminar o reflejar.
العربية
يضيء؛ يُنير؛ يعكس
أن يُضيء أو يُنير أو يعكس الضوء.
Русский
светить; освещать; отражать
Светить, освещать или отражать.
Common words
- 照zhàoshine
- 照顾zhào gùcare