About
The character "汉" derives from its traditional form "漢", which originally referred to the Han River in central China, as signified by its water radical (氵). The construction of "漢" combines this radical with the component "難", which historically functioned as a phonetic element. Over time, the term's meaning extended from the river to the Han dynasty, named for the region associated with that waterway, and subsequently to the Han Chinese ethnic group whose identity is connected to that historical period. The simplified form "汉" retains the water radical but replaces the traditional right-hand component with "又", a common graphical simplification, while the character's semantic trajectory shifted from a geographical feature to a dynastic identifier and then to an ethnonym.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
我会说汉语。
汉字很难写。
他买了一个汉堡。
姐姐喜欢穿汉服。
汉族是中国的主要民族。
武汉是一座美丽的城市。
这本汉英词典很有用。
汉代在历史上非常强盛。