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汉字
hànzì
What does "汉字" mean in English?
Chinese characters中国的书写系统使用汉字。
China's writing system uses Chinese characters.
How to use "汉字" correctly: definitions and examples in English?
formal
The logographic writing system used in Chinese and related languages, where each character represents a morpheme or word.
学习汉字是学习中文的基础。
Learning Chinese characters is the foundation of learning Chinese.
她的汉字写得很漂亮。
Her Chinese characters are written beautifully.
汉字 is the primary writing system for Mandarin Chinese and is also used in Japanese (as kanji) and Korean (as hanja) in historical or formal contexts.
Related Phrases
Pro Tip
Memory Strategy
Break down 汉字 into smaller components (radicals) to remember their meanings. For example, '好' (hǎo, 'good') combines '女' (woman) and '子' (child), suggesting 'a woman with a child is good.'
Gold Rule
Stroke Order
Always write 汉字 in the correct stroke order to ensure legibility and balance. Incorrect stroke order can lead to confusion or misrecognition.
Word Origin
The term 汉字 combines 汉 (Hàn, referring to the Han Dynasty, historically associated with Chinese culture) and 字 (zì, meaning 'character' or 'script'). The Han Dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE) standardized Chinese writing, giving rise to the term.
Usage Notes
汉字 are logographic, meaning each character represents a word or morpheme, unlike alphabetic scripts where letters represent sounds. There are thousands of commonly used 汉字, with standardized forms in Mainland China (simplified characters) and Taiwan/Hong Kong (traditional characters).
Word Breakdown
汉
Han Chinese (as in the Han Dynasty)
root字
character; script
root汉英词典