黑
contributes the sense of black · Kangxi radical 203
contributes the sense of black, darkness, and soot-stained or gloomy things
The old graph of 黑 shows a person standing over a fire, face and body smudged with soot, or alternatively a chimney vent caked with smoke residue — the exact reading is debated, but soot from fire is the shared idea. In the modern 黑 you can still see the four dots 灬 of flame along the bottom, with the upper part reduced to a boxed shape that once stood for the smoke-blackened surface. Characters built on it name dark colors and dim light, as in 黯 and 黝, or things marked by soot and ink, as in 墨 and 黥.
黑 at a glance
- Meaning
- contributes the sense of black
- Strokes
- 12
- Characters
- 19
- Role
- Contributes meaning
- Kangxi radical
- 203
Characters with 黑 (15 of 19)
HSK 4 · 1
Beyond HSK · 12
Frequently asked questions
What does the component 黑 mean?
黑 means "contributes the sense of black". In the characters that contain it, it contributes meaning.
How many Chinese characters contain 黑?
19 characters in this dictionary contain 黑, including ones at HSK 4, HSK 6.
Is 黑 a radical?
Yes — 黑 is Kangxi radical 203, one of the 214 traditional indexing radicals used to organise Chinese dictionaries.
How many strokes does 黑 have?
黑 is written in 12 strokes.