How to Write 瀚 (hàn) — Meaning “vast; extensive”

Imagine a huge ocean (氵) that stretches so far that even a flying crane (think of 翰's top part resembling a crane's wings) can't reach the end. You can also link 瀚 to the common word 浩瀚 (hào hàn), picturing an "immense" sea that feels endless.

Pay attention to the right side 翰: it has 11 strokes itself, starting with 倝 (gàn) on top and 羽 (yǔ, feathers) below. Keep the left water radical narrow and the right side roughly twice as wide. A common mistake is making the 羽 part too large or forgetting the short horizontal stroke inside 倝.

瀚 means 'vast' (especially water) and contains 翰; 濞 (bì) has the nose radical 鼻 and refers to a gushing sound or a place name; 濠 (háo) has 豪 (háo, 'hero') and means a defensive moat or trench. Visually, 瀚's right side has 羽 (feathers), while 濞 has 鼻 (nose) and 濠 has 豕 (pig) inside 豪.

瀚 appears in literary or formal expressions like 浩瀚 (hào hàn, 'vast/immense') for oceans, deserts, or the universe, and 瀚海 (hàn hǎi), which historically refers to the Gobi Desert or a vast sea. It is not common in daily conversation but is found in poetry, geographic names, and formal writing.

Common words containing 瀚 include: 浩瀚 (hào hàn) — vast / immense; 瀚海 (hàn hǎi) — vast sea; the Gobi Desert; 瀚漠 (hàn mò) — vast desert.