The character 化 — “transform”: how to write it and what it means
transform, change
The Chinese character 化 is read huà and means “transform, change”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 化
化 has 4 strokes. At each step the new stroke is highlighted — write them in the same order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical, a frame before what is inside it, and the bottom stroke of the frame last.
To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for 化, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 化 is made of
On the left, 亻 “person”.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 化
- 文化cultureHSK 3
- 变化change; change, varyHSK 3
- 消化digestHSK 5
- 化学chemistryHSK 5
- 现代化modernizationHSK 5
- 化妆put on makeupHSK 6
- 优化optimizeHSK 6
- 融化melt, thawHSK 6
- 绿化make green, plant greeneryHSK 6
- 化石fossilHSK 6
- 进化evolve; evolutionHSK 6
- 强化strengthen, intensifyHSK 6
- 简化simplifyHSK 6
- 数字化digitize; digitalizationHSK 6
- 二氧化碳carbon dioxideHSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 化?
化 has 4 strokes. They follow the usual rules: top to bottom, left to right, horizontal before vertical, outside before inside. The order of each stroke is shown on this page.
What does 化 mean?
化 means “transform, change”. It appears in 文化 (“culture”), 变化 (“change”), 消化 (“digest”), 化学 (“chemistry”).
How do you pronounce 化?
化 is read huà. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 化 have?
4 strokes.
More characters on the page “Chinese characters with meanings” and in the list of HSK characters by level; whole words are in the dictionary.
Write 化 yourself
In the lessons you write characters stroke by stroke with a finger or a mouse, and the course checks the order. You can start for free, no sign-up needed.
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