How to Write 黄 (huáng) — Meaning “yellow”

Imagine a bright yellow sunflower: the top part of 黄 looks like the flower's petals (艹), and the bottom part (由) looks like the stem. This picture of a yellow sunflower will remind you of the color and the character's shape.

The character 黄 has 11 strokes. Start with the top horizontal, then write the verticals and horizontals in order, keeping the middle section narrow. A common mistake is making the bottom part too wide—balance it so the character looks square and compact.

Common words include 黄色 (huáng sè, yellow), 蛋黄 (dàn huáng, egg yolk), and 黄瓜 (huáng guā, cucumber). Use 黄色 to describe the color, 蛋黄 for the yellow part of an egg, and 黄瓜 when talking about the vegetable cucumber in cooking or shopping.

黄 is used daily for the color yellow and in many compound words. Culturally, yellow has special importance in China—it was the color of emperors and is seen in the yellow dragon robe. It also appears in terms like 黄皮肤 (huáng pí fū) for yellow skin, referring to East Asian people.

Common words containing 黄 include: 黄色 (huáng sè) — yellow; 蛋黄 (dàn huáng) — egg yolk; 黄瓜 (huáng guā) — cucumber.