弘 (hóng) is a Chinese character meaning “vast”. It is written from 弓 (bow) and 厶 (private component), side by side, and takes 5 strokes.
Build the character for “vast; great”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
弓 + 厶
Left–right structure
Structure from: Unicode U+5F18; ⿰弓厶 split verified against hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 stroke geometry (strokes 0-2 match 弓 exactly, strokes 3-4 match 厶)
Memory aid
A bow (弓) on the left, and 厶 on the right like an arm bent back to full draw. Pull that wide and the arrow carries a long way — 弘 means vast, far-reaching.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
5 strokes
In real words
- 弘扬hóng yángto promote; to carry forward弘 = hóng
- 恢弘huī hónggrand; magnificent; on a vast scale弘 = hóng
Go deeper
All readings
vast; great
vast; grand; great in scale; to make great, to spread widely
广大；宏大。也表示使其光大、发扬。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 弘扬hóng yángto promote; to carry forward弘 = hóng
- 恢弘huī hónggrand; magnificent; on a vast scale弘 = hóng
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 弘 mean?
弘 (hóng) means vast; grand; great in scale; to make great, to spread widely.
How do you pronounce 弘?
It is pronounced hóng.
What parts is 弘 made of?
弓 (bow) and 厶 (private component), side by side. The recorded source is: Unicode U+5F18; ⿰弓厶 split verified against hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 stroke geometry (strokes 0-2 match 弓 exactly, strokes 3-4 match 厶). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 弘 have?
5. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 弘?
弓. 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 弘?
Common ones are 弘扬 and 恢弘. The reading of 弘 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.