荒 huāng — wasteland, desolate · English

荒

huāng

wasteland, desolate

At a glance · 荒

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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.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
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。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

荒字小篆从艸巟声，为形声字；本义为荒芜、未开垦之地。甲骨文未见。

What the sketch shows

Shuowen Jiezi

呼光切。蕪也。从艸㠩聲。一曰艸淹地也。。

— 《说文解字》

Origins & notes

荒本义为田地荒芜，引申为荒远、荒凉。

Structure

形声字，上部『艸』为意符表草木，下部『巟』为声符。

At a glance

Pinyinhuāng

Radical艹

Strokes10

UnicodeU+8352

Character type形声

Theme地理

Six languages, one character

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

English wasteland, desolate Huang means wasteland and desolation, originally land overgrown with weeds.

Français terre inculte Huang signifie terre inculte et désolation, à l'origine une terre envahie par les mauvaises herbes.

Español baldío, yermo Huang significa tierra yerma y desolación, originalmente tierra invadida por malas hierbas.

العربية أرض قفر هوانغ يعني الأرض القفر والمهجورة، وهي في الأصل أرض مغطاة بالأعشاب الضارة.

Русский пустошь, дикий Хуан означает пустошь и запустение, изначально — заросшая сорняками земля.

Common words

荒凉huāng liángdesolate
荒地huāng dìwasteland

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