How to Write 花 (huā) — Meaning “Flower”

Imagine a flower (艹) that 'changes' (化) as it grows from a tiny bud to a full bloom. Another trick is to think of spending money on a flower, since 花 also means 'to spend' — picture a coin dropping onto a flower.

Start with the top radical 艹: write two horizontal strokes, then a left vertical and a right vertical. Then below write 化: first the left component 亻 (person radical), then the right component 匕. A common mistake is making the grass radical too wide — keep it about one-third of the total height.

花 has the clear component 化 (change) under the grass radical, while 兹 (zī, meaning 'now' or 'grass') has 玄 (dark thread) on top and 艹 on the bottom. 艻 (lè) is simply the grass radical plus 力 (strength) — it is a rare character for a type of grass. Visually, 花's bottom part looks like a 'person' (亻) next to a 'dagger' (匕).

花 is very common for actual flowers, like in 花园 (huā yuán, garden) and 开花 (kāi huā, to bloom). It also means 'to spend' in words like 花钱 (huā qián). Culturally, giving red flowers is for celebrations, while white flowers are used at funerals — a key difference from Western customs.

Common words containing 花 include: 花园 (huā yuán) — Garden; 开花 (kāi huā) — to bloom; to flower; 花钱 (huā qián) — To spend money.