黑hēi
Character evolution
黑
Hover to feel · click to explore
Simplified · Today
简体
Simplified Chinese
← → navigate · swipe on mobile
Shuowen
黑. The oracle bone script depicts a person with a blackened face or head, representing darkness. The modern form shows fire (炎) above with a box-like element below, suggesting smoke and soot that produce black color. Thus the character came to mean black, dark, or secret.
Pinyin
hēi· HSK 2