香

xiāng

日 + 禾

HSK 2.0Level 4

HSK 3.0Level 4

Definitions

xiāng (adjective) fragrant; sweet smelling; aromatic

xiāng (noun) incense; joss stick

xiāng (noun) spice; seasoning

xiāng (noun) fragrance; perfume

Etymology

Represents the sweet (甘) smell of fresh grain (禾).

About

香 pairs 禾 (grain) with 甘 (sweet) , the latter now written 曰 , to evoke the sweet fragrance of fresh grain. The character means fragrant or aromatic, describing pleasant scents of food, perfumes, and plants, and also names the incense sticks burned in rituals.

Etymology Hide

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Bronze Mid Western Zhou (~900 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Clerical Cao Wei (Three Kingdoms: 222-280 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

这朵花很香。

Zhè duǒ huā hěn xiāng.

This flower is very fragrant.

妈妈做的饭真香。

Māma zuò de fàn zhēn xiāng.

The food mom cooks is really delicious.

早上我吃了香肠。

Zǎoshang wǒ chī le xiāngcháng.

I ate sausage this morning.

我喜欢吃香蕉。

Wǒ xǐhuan chī xiāngjiāo.

I like to eat bananas.

咖啡的香味很好闻。

Kāfēi de xiāngwèi hěn hǎo wén.

The aroma of coffee is very pleasant to smell.

这个香皂有柠檬味。

Zhège xiāngzào yǒu níngméng wèi.

This bar of soap has a lemon scent.

书香能让人静下心来。

Shūxiāng néng ràng rén jìng xià xīnlái.

The scent of books can help one calm down.

桂花香气弥漫在秋夜中。

Guìhuā xiāngqì mímàn zài qiū yè zhōng.

The fragrance of osmanthus permeates the autumn night.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 日

Component: 禾

香