宏 (hóng) is a Chinese character meaning “grand”. It is written from 宀 (roof) and 厷 (forearm; upper arm), one above the other, and takes 7 strokes.
Build the character for “grand; vast”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
宀 + 厷
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 说文解字·宀部：宏，屋深響也。从宀厷聲；并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–2 为「宀」（3 画），笔画 3–6 为「厷」（4 画）
Memory aid
Under one roof (宀) an arm (厷) stretches out and still cannot touch the walls — the hall is that grand.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 宏大hóng dàgrand; large-scale宏 = hóng
- 宏伟hóng wěimagnificent; imposing宏 = hóng
Go deeper
All readings
grand; vast
grand; vast; on a large scale
广大；规模宏伟。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 宏大hóng dàgrand; large-scale宏 = hóng
- 宏伟hóng wěimagnificent; imposing宏 = hóng
Origin
The Shuowen Jiezi analyses 宏 as "from 宀, with 厷 giving the sound", glossing it as the deep, resonant sound inside a large house. 宀 is a roof, so the character was written about buildings; today it means grand or vast in scale.
Source: 说文解字·宀部：宏，屋深響也。从宀厷聲
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 宏 mean?
宏 (hóng) means grand; vast; on a large scale.
How do you pronounce 宏?
It is pronounced hóng.
What parts is 宏 made of?
宀 (roof) and 厷 (forearm; upper arm), one above the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字·宀部：宏，屋深響也。从宀厷聲；并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–2 为「宀」（3 画），笔画 3–6 为「厷」（4 画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 宏 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 宏?
宀. 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 宏?
Common ones are 宏大 and 宏伟. The reading of 宏 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.