画 (huà) is a Chinese character meaning “to draw”. It is written from 凵 (open box) and 一 (one) and 田 (field; farmland), one enclosing the other, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “to draw”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
凵 + 一 + 田
Enclosing structure
Structure from: hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（现代字形拆分：1 + 5 + 2 = 8 笔）
Memory aid
One line (一) ruled across the top, a field (田) blocked out below it, and an open frame (凵) holding it all in — that is a picture being drawn inside its border.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 图画tú huàpicture; drawing画 = huà
- 画家huà jiāpainter; artist画 = huà
- 动画dòng huàanimation; cartoon画 = huà
- 勾画gōu huàto sketch; to outline画 = huà
- 画册huà cèpicture album; illustrated book画 = huà
- 画廊huà lángart gallery画 = huà
- 绘画huì huàpainting; drawing; to paint画 = huà
Go deeper
All readings
to draw
to draw; to paint; a drawing or painting; a single stroke of a Chinese character
用笔做出图形；画出来的作品。也指汉字的一笔。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 图画tú huàpicture; drawing画 = huà
- 画家huà jiāpainter; artist画 = huà
- 动画dòng huàanimation; cartoon画 = huà
- 勾画gōu huàto sketch; to outline画 = huà
- 画册huà cèpicture album; illustrated book画 = huà
- 画廊huà lángart gallery画 = huà
- 绘画huì huàpainting; drawing; to paint画 = huà
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 画 mean?
画 (huà) means to draw; to paint; a drawing or painting; a single stroke of a Chinese character.
How do you pronounce 画?
It is pronounced huà.
What parts is 画 made of?
凵 (open box) and 一 (one) and 田 (field; farmland), one enclosing the other. The recorded source is: hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（现代字形拆分：1 + 5 + 2 = 8 笔）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 画 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 画?
田. 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 画?
Common ones are 图画, 画家, 动画. The reading of 画 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.