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How to Write 虹 (hóng) — Meaning “Rainbow”

hóng HSK Level 7 9 strokes Radical: 虫

虹 (hóng) means "Rainbow" in Chinese. It has 9 strokes with the radical 虫, and is HSK Level 7.

Rated 4/5 in difficulty (challenging).

Harder than 45% of HSK Level 7 characters.

Appears in 3+ common words including 彩虹 (cǎi hóng), 霓虹灯 (ní hóng dēng), 虹 (hóng).

Due to its 9 strokes, Hanzi Writer's error detection shows 虹 requires focused practice — most learners need 10+ attempts for consistent accuracy.

Stroke order practice for 虹 - hóng

Practice Writing 虹 (hóng)

Open Hanzi Writer to see the animated stroke order and practice writing 虹 with real-time feedback.

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How to Write 虹

The character 虹 (hóng) is written with 9 strokes. Follow the standard Chinese stroke order: top to bottom, left to right, outside before inside. The radical 虫 is one of its key components.

Practice the correct stroke order with the Hanzi Writer app to see animated stroke-by-stroke guidance with real-time feedback.

What Does hóng (虹) Mean in Chinese?

虹 means Rainbow.

As an HSK Level 7 character, 虹 is an intermediate-level character.

Character Data

Character虹
Pinyinhóng (hong)
MeaningRainbow
Strokes9
Radical虫
HSK Level7
Difficulty4/5

Origin of 虹

虹 combines the radical 虫 (insect/snake) with 工 (work). Ancient Chinese believed rainbows were caused by a giant two-headed snake/dragon arching across the sky to drink water; the 工 component resembles the rainbow's arched shape and also provides the sound 'gong' (later shifting to 'hong').

💡 Memory Tip: Imagine a giant serpent (虫) doing a construction job (工) by bending its body into a colorful bridge across the sky.

Common Words with 虹

彩虹 cǎi hóng
rainbow
霓虹灯 ní hóng dēng
Neon light
虹 hóng
Rainbow

Example Sentences

雨后出现了彩虹。

yǔ hòu chū xiàn le cǎi hóng

A rainbow appeared after the rain.

这里的霓虹灯很漂亮。

zhè lǐ de ní hóng dēng hěn piào liàng

The neon lights here are very beautiful.

虹的形状像一座桥。

hóng de xíng zhuàng xiàng yī zuò qiáo

A rainbow is shaped like a bridge.

Similar Characters Comparison

Character Pinyin Strokes Radical
虹 (current) hóng 9 虫
虬 qiú 7 虫
虮 jǐ 8 虫
虰 dīng 8 虫
Stroke order practice for 虹 - hóng

Practice Writing 虹 (hóng)

Open Hanzi Writer to see the animated stroke order and practice writing 虹 with real-time feedback.

✨ Animated stroke order · Handwriting recognition · HSK-graded practice · Free to use

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Frequently Asked Questions about 虹

虹 is made of the radical 虫 (insect) on the left and 工 (work) on the right. In ancient Chinese belief, a rainbow was seen as a giant celestial insect or dragon, which explains the 虫 radical. The 工 component gives a clue to the pronunciation, as it sounds similar to hóng.

More HSK Level 7 Characters

伯bó呵hē哎āi哀āi唉āi/ài癌ái艾ài/yì滋zī抚fǔ逸yì昂áng凹āo/wā熬āo/áo奥ào卦guà扒bā/pá芭bā蕾lěi柄bǐng靶bǎ

Characters with Radical 虫

虫chóng虬qiú虮jǐ虰dīng虱shī虺huī虻méng虼gè虽suī虾xiā

Other 9-Stroke Characters

㒸suì㲋chuò㿽xī临lín举jǔ乹gān/qián亭tíng亮liàng亲qīn/qìng侮wǔ