Published Characters
Browse published characters with pinyin and meanings.
102 characters
生Published
Pinyinshēng
MeaningThe Chinese character “生” basically means “to be born, to give birth, or life itself,” and by extension it can mean “to grow” or “to live.” In everyday use it also often means “raw” or “uncooked” (like raw food), and sometimes “new” or “unfamiliar” (like a stranger or an unskilled person).
下Published
Pinyinxià
Meaning“下” most commonly means “down, below, under” and is used for physical position or direction (to go down, downstairs, under something). It can also mean “next” in a sequence (e.g., next week), “to get off” (e.g., get off a vehicle), or “to finish/end” an activity (e.g., class ends).
种Published
Pinyinzhǒng
Meaning“种” most commonly means “kind; type” (as in 一种动物 “a kind of animal”) and also “seed” or “to plant” (as in 种子 “seed,” 种树 “to plant trees”). In extended use, it can refer generally to “race” or “ethnic group” (as in 人种 “race”).
说Published
Pinyinshuō
Meaning“说” most commonly means “to speak” or “to say,” and is used when someone is talking, expressing an opinion, or telling something to others. It can also mean “to explain” or “to persuade” in some contexts.
来Published
Pinyinlái
Meaning“来” most often means “to come” (movement toward the speaker or a reference point), as in “他来了” – “He has come.”
It’s also used after a verb to show direction toward the speaker (e.g., 拿过来 “bring it over”) and in some patterns to mean “from (a time)” or “since” (e.g., 从小到大以来 “from childhood up to now”).
所Published
Pinyinsuǒ
Meaning“所” is a common character that often marks the place or thing affected by an action, similar to turning “to do” into “what is done” (e.g., 所说 = “what is said,” 所在 = “place where [something] is”). It also appears in set patterns like “有所…” (“to have some…”) and in nouns for places or institutions (e.g., 诊所 “clinic,” 住所 “residence”).
十Published
Pinyinshí
MeaningIn modern Chinese, the character **“十”** mainly means the **number ten (10)**. It can also appear as a component in larger numbers (like 十二 “twelve”) or in set phrases to mean “many” or “all,” but its core meaning is simply **ten**.
经Published
Pinyinjīng
Meaning“经” most commonly means “to pass through” or “to go by,” and from this it also means “to experience” (e.g., 经历) and “to manage” (as in 经济, “economy”). It can also mean a “classic text” or “scripture” (like 经典, “classic; canonical work”).
化Published
Pinyinhuà
Meaning“化” basically means “to change” or “to transform,” including turning one thing into another (like solid to liquid, or ideas into action). It is also used as a suffix to mean “-ization” in English, such as in “modernization” (现代化).
们Published
Pinyinmen
Meaning“们” is a plural marker used after personal pronouns and many human nouns to show “more than one,” like turning “我 (I)” into “我们 (we)” or “学生 (student)” into “学生们 (students). It does not go with most non-human nouns, so you usually don’t use it with things like objects, animals, or abstract ideas.