汉 hàn

HSK 1 Writing L2

The Han River (汉水), a major tributary of the Yangtze in central China.

Han Chinese ethnicity, Chinese language, or a man. Water (氵) flowing beside a hand (又), marking the Han River that gave its name to the Han people.

Common Usage & Traps

  • 汉语 (Hànyǔ) — Chinese language
  • 汉字 (Hànzì) — Chinese character
  • 汉人 (Hànrén) — Han Chinese person
  • 汉朝 (Hàncháo) — Han Dynasty
  • 汉文 中文 / 汉语

    汉文 is not commonly used in modern spoken Chinese; 中文 or 汉语 are the natural terms for the Chinese language.

  • 汉话 汉语 / 中文

    汉话 is a nonstandard regional term; standard Mandarin uses 汉语 or 中文.

What is the difference between 汉 and 汗?

汉 (hàn) refers to Han Chinese or the Chinese language, while 汗 (hàn) means sweat.

Both characters are pronounced hàn, but their meanings are completely different. 汉 is used in words like 汉语 (Chinese language) and 汉字 (Chinese character). 汗 means sweat, as in 出汗 (to sweat). The water radical (氵) in 汗 hints at its meaning related to liquid.
Dimension汉汗
MeaningHan Chinese; Chinese languagesweat
Common words汉语, 汉字, 汉人出汗, 汗水, 汗衫
Radical氵 (water)氵 (water)
Example我在学汉语。他出汗了。

Can 汉 be used alone to mean 'Chinese'?

No, 汉 is almost always bound and appears in compounds like 汉语 or 汉字.

In modern Mandarin, 汉 is not used as a standalone word to mean 'Chinese'. It must combine with other characters to form words such as 汉语 (Chinese language), 汉字 (Chinese character), or 汉人 (Han Chinese). To say 'Chinese' as a standalone adjective, use 中文 or 中国的.
DimensionNaturalAvoid
Standalone use中文 (Chinese language)汉 (alone)
Compound use汉语, 汉字汉 alone
Example我会说中文。我会说汉。

Appears in Stories 6 stories

《慢还是快?》 Slow or Fast? A Language Learner's Debate
HSK 2 ~8 min read 593 chars
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Is four years to reach HSK 5 fast or slow? Follow a conversation between two learners as they compare study hours and share realistic strategies for busy adults.

  • B:我在学 汉语 和中文。

  • A: 汉语 和中文?

  • 汉语 和中文不都是“Chinese”吗?

  • 汉语 是“说 汉语 ”,也可以“听 汉语 ”;但是中文是“读中文”,中文和 汉字 都是眼睛在看。

  • 你有 汉语 老师和中文老师吗?

  • B:我们说话的时候,只说“ 汉语 ”就可以了,就是说“中文老师、 汉语 老师”都可以。

  • 我有一位 汉语 老师。

  • 我和他学说话,也学认 汉字 。

  • 我去年住在上海的时候,去一个 汉语 学校学习 汉语 ,学了一个月。

  • 你知道,学习 汉语 很有意思,但是那个时候,我们班有三十个同学。

  • 人太多,我很少真的说 汉语 ,所以这个“ 汉语 课”很没意思。

  • A:你学 汉语 多长时间了?

  • B:我学 汉语 四年了。

  • 我这四年要忙工作,说真话,没有很多时间学 汉语 。

  • 我有很多 汉字 会认,但是不会写。

《哪里哪里!》 Where is 'Where'?
HSK 1 ~6 min read 432 chars
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Chat about where friends study Chinese while exploring 哪儿 and 哪里 across Beijing and Shanghai. Practice asking “where”, talking about “here” and “there”, and using the modest reply 哪里哪里 to accept a compliment.

  • 你在哪儿学 汉语 ?

  • 老包:我在上海学 汉语 。

  • 大山,你在哪里学 汉语 ?

  • 大山:我在北京学 汉语 。

  • 大山:小米,你的 汉语 真好。

  • 大山说我的 汉语 很好。

《友好的高友朋》 A Friendly New Friend at Work
HSK 2 ~4 min read 243 chars
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Meet Gao Youpeng, a friendly Beijing coworker who welcomes the narrator with local dishes and a simple language-exchange plan. This warm HSK 2 story is perfect for first readings about work and friendship.

  • 他学英语,我学 汉语 。

  • 我教他英文,他教我中文,每天学几个词,很快,我们的英语和 汉语 都能好很多。

《十四不是四十!》 Fourteen Is Not Forty: A Chinese Tongue Twister
HSK 1 ~1 min read 62 chars
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This short, rhythmic text is a famous Chinese tongue twister. It helps beginners practice the difference between sì (four) and shí (ten) while building confidence in speaking.

  • 没事儿说说四和十,说好 汉语 不是事儿。

《一两件新衣服》 New Clothes and Good Friends
HSK 1 ~2 min read 84 chars
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This playful poem helps you count and practice vocabulary about clothes, students, and pets. Enjoy the rhythm while learning new words.

  • 一两件新衣服,两三本 汉语书 。

《三星在哪里?》 Fun Rap to learn Chinese: Where Is \"Samsung\"?
HSK 1 ~1 min read 72 chars
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Ever noticed how similar Chinese words can be? This rhyme plays with place names and homophones, from schools to hotels, even throwing in Samsung's origin. A lighthearted way to boost your word power.

  • 五星大饭店,中国和中文, 汉语 和韩语, 汉字 和 汉子 。

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