Soot-blackened color from fire and smoke.
Black, dark, shady, illegal, or unlucky. A chimney's top frame with soot settling down above the fire (灬).
黑
Common Usage & Traps
- 黑色 — black (color)
- 黑白 — black and white
- 黑板 — blackboard
- 黑夜 — dark night
- 黑马 — dark horse; unexpected winner
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黑颜色黑色Chinese does not say 黑颜色; the standard term is 黑色.
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很黑的人皮肤黑的人To describe a person's dark skin, you need 皮肤 (skin); otherwise it sounds like the person is literally black.
What is the difference between 黑 and 墨?
黑 is the everyday word for black; 墨 means ink and is not a general color word.
黑 is the basic HSK 2 word for the color black and for darkness. 墨 originally means ink and only appears in a few fixed words like 墨水 (ink). At HSK 2, learners should not use 墨 to describe ordinary black objects. If you mean black, say 黑 or 黑色.
| Dimension | 黑 | 墨 |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | black; dark | ink; ink-black |
| Usage | general color and darkness word | limited to ink-related words |
| Example | 黑色 (black color) | 墨水 (ink) |
Can 黑 be used alone as a word?
Yes, 黑 can stand alone as an adjective or verb, but many common nouns require it to combine with another character.
黑 can stand alone, so you can say 很黑 (very black) or 天黑了 (it is getting dark). But for specific objects, it often must combine with another character, as in 黑板 (blackboard) or 黑色 (black color). Learners sometimes try to use 黑 alone where a compound is required.
| Dimension | Standalone | Bound |
|---|---|---|
| Usage | as adjective or verb | in compound nouns |
| Example | 很黑 (very black) | 黑板 (blackboard) |
| Note | can be a main description | cannot be used alone for many objects |
Appears in Stories 2 stories
In this dialogue, two people chat while waiting outside a cinema. You'll hear common phrases for talking about hobbies, sports, and movie preferences.
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我最喜欢看 黑白 老电影。
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今天我们就要看一个外国 黑白 老电影。
This simple HSK 2 story introduces a warm family of six. Follow Little Bao and his British wife as they raise their two green-eyed children, each with their own personality.
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两个孩子的眼睛的颜色都不是 黑色 的，都是绿色的。
Questions & Discussion 0 questions
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