汉hàn
Character evolution
汉
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Simplified · Today
繁体
Traditional Chinese
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Shuowen
The character 汉 depicts the Han River, a major waterway in central China, combining the water radical 氵 with 𠂉 as a phonetic component. In its earliest forms from oracle bone inscriptions, it specifically represented this river system. The character later became associated with the Han dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE) that ruled along this river's basin, and eventually became the name for the Han Chinese people and their civilization.
Pinyin
hàn· HSK 1