华 (huá) is a Chinese character meaning “magnificent”. It is written from 化 (to change; to transform) and 十 (ten), one above the other, and takes 6 strokes.
Build the character for “splendid; China”
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Structure
化 + 十
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分（《现代常用字部件及部件名称规范》: 华 = 化 + 十）；笔画数经 hanzi-writer-data 核验 4 + 2 = 6
Memory aid
Change (化) sitting on top of ten (十): put something through ten rounds of change and it comes out splendid. Both parts are really in this character.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
6 strokes
In real words
- 中华Zhōng huáChina; the Chinese nation华 = huá
- 华人huá rénethnic Chinese person华 = huá
- 华丽huá lìmagnificent; gorgeous华 = huá
- 华侨huá qiáooverseas Chinese华 = huá
Go deeper
All readings
splendid; China
magnificent; splendid; flourishing; also short for China / Chinese
光彩、繁盛、美丽；也是「中国」的简称。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 中华Zhōng huáChina; the Chinese nation华 = huá
- 华人huá rénethnic Chinese person华 = huá
- 华丽huá lìmagnificent; gorgeous华 = huá
- 华侨huá qiáooverseas Chinese华 = huá
Rare readings, not taught: huà
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 华 mean?
华 (huá) means magnificent; splendid; flourishing; also short for China / Chinese.
How do you pronounce 华?
It is pronounced huá.
What parts is 华 made of?
化 (to change; to transform) and 十 (ten), one above the other. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分（《现代常用字部件及部件名称规范》: 华 = 化 + 十）；笔画数经 hanzi-writer-data 核验 4 + 2 = 6. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 华 have?
6. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 华?
十. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 华?
Common ones are 中华 and 华人. The reading of 华 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.