花 (huā) is a Chinese character meaning “flower”. It is written from 艹 (grass / plant radical) and 化 (to change; to transform), one above the other, and takes 7 strokes.
Build the character for “flower”
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Structure
艹 + 化
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 7 笔核验：艹 3 笔 + 化 4 笔）
Memory aid
Under the grass radical (艹) sits 化, "to change". A plant that changes — the bud opens and becomes a flower. 化 (huà) is also the sound clue for huā.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 花朵huā duǒflower; bloom花 = huā
- 花园huā yuángarden花 = huā
- 兰花lán huāorchid花 = huā
- 杏花xìng huāapricot blossom花 = huā
- 玫瑰花méi gui huārose (the flower)花 = huā
- 芦花lú huāreed catkin; the white plume on top of a reed花 = huā
- 花卉huā huìflowers and plants花 = huā
- 花坛huā tánflower bed (a raised, edged planting bed)花 = huā
- 花束huā shùbouquet; bunch of flowers花 = huā
- 花纹huā wéndecorative pattern; figured design花 = huā
- 花苞huā bāoflower bud花 = huā
- 茉莉花mò lì huājasmine flower花 = huā
- 桂花guì huāosmanthus flower花 = huā
- 桃花táo huāpeach blossom花 = huā
- 梅花méi huāplum blossom花 = huā
- 浇花jiāo huāto water the flowers花 = huā
- 绣花xiù huāto embroider (a pattern); embroidered花 = huā
- 花圃huā pǔflower bed; flower garden花 = huā
- 花瓶huā píngvase; (fig.) someone valued only for looks花 = huā
- 花盆huā pénflowerpot花 = huā
- 荷花hé huālotus flower花 = huā
- 莲花lián huālotus flower花 = huā
- 菊花jú huāchrysanthemum花 = huā
- 葵花kuí huāsunflower花 = huā
- 雪花xuě huāsnowflake花 = huā
Go deeper
All readings
flower
flower; blossom; patterned; to spend (money, time)
植物的繁殖器官，也指有花纹的、像花的东西；又表示消耗（钱、时间）。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 花朵huā duǒflower; bloom花 = huā
- 花园huā yuángarden花 = huā
- 兰花lán huāorchid花 = huā
- 杏花xìng huāapricot blossom花 = huā
- 玫瑰花méi gui huārose (the flower)花 = huā
- 芦花lú huāreed catkin; the white plume on top of a reed花 = huā
- 花卉huā huìflowers and plants花 = huā
- 花坛huā tánflower bed (a raised, edged planting bed)花 = huā
- 花束huā shùbouquet; bunch of flowers花 = huā
- 花纹huā wéndecorative pattern; figured design花 = huā
- 花苞huā bāoflower bud花 = huā
- 茉莉花mò lì huājasmine flower花 = huā
- 桂花guì huāosmanthus flower花 = huā
- 桃花táo huāpeach blossom花 = huā
- 梅花méi huāplum blossom花 = huā
- 浇花jiāo huāto water the flowers花 = huā
- 绣花xiù huāto embroider (a pattern); embroidered花 = huā
- 花圃huā pǔflower bed; flower garden花 = huā
- 花瓶huā píngvase; (fig.) someone valued only for looks花 = huā
- 花盆huā pénflowerpot花 = huā
- 荷花hé huālotus flower花 = huā
- 莲花lián huālotus flower花 = huā
- 菊花jú huāchrysanthemum花 = huā
- 葵花kuí huāsunflower花 = huā
- 雪花xuě huāsnowflake花 = huā
Sound component
化 family tone diff
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 花 mean?
花 (huā) means flower; blossom; patterned; to spend (money, time).
How do you pronounce 花?
It is pronounced huā.
What parts is 花 made of?
艹 (grass / plant radical) and 化 (to change; to transform), one above the other. The recorded source is: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 7 笔核验：艹 3 笔 + 化 4 笔）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 花 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 花?
艸. 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 花?
Common ones are 花朵 and 花园. The reading of 花 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.