红

紅

hóng, gōng

工 + 纟

HSK 2.0Level 2

HSK 3.0Level 5

Definitions

hóng (adjective) red

hóng (adjective) popular; successful

hóng (noun) bonus

Etymology

Simplified form of 紅. Phonosemantic compound. 糹 represents the meaning and 工 represents the sound.

Semantic: 纟 Phonetic: 工

About

红 is the simplified version of the traditional character 紅. It is a phono-semantic compound: the left-side component 纟 (a simplification of 糹) means "silk", linking the character to dyed fabrics, while the right-side component 工 (gōng) supplies the pronunciation. Originally, 红 denoted a light pinkish-red dye used for silk threads and garments, not a vivid red. Over the centuries, the character's meaning broadened from that specific textile hue to become the universal term for the color red in Chinese.

Etymology Hide

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我妹妹喜欢红色。

Wǒ mèimei xǐhuan hóngsè.

My younger sister likes the color red.

这些红花很漂亮。

Zhèxiē hónghuā hěn piàoliang.

These red flowers are very beautiful.

她买了一些红苹果。

Tā mǎi le yīxiē hóng píngguǒ.

She bought some red apples.

请小心看红绿灯。

Qǐng xiǎoxīn kàn hónglǜdēng.

Please be careful and watch the traffic lights.

他紧张得脸红了。

Tā jǐnzhāng de liǎn hóng le.

He was so nervous that his face turned red.

春节时我收到红包。

Chūnjié shí wǒ shōu dào hóngbāo.

I received red envelopes during the Spring Festival.

那位演员最近很走红。

Nà wèi yǎnyuán zuìjìn hěn zǒuhóng.

That actor has become very popular recently.

革命红旗在风中飘扬。

Gémìng hóngqí zài fēng zhōng piāoyáng.

The revolutionary red flag is fluttering in the wind.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 工

Component: 纟

红