How to Write 晃 (huǎng/huàng) — Meaning “to sway; to dazzle”

Picture the sun (日) shining directly onto a shiny surface (光), making the light sway and hurt your eyes. This visual of "dazzling sunlight" helps link the character to both 'sway' and 'dazzle'.

Write 日 first (thin and narrow), then write 光 below it. Make sure 日 is clearly smaller than 光, which has a broad top and a vertical hook (乚) on the lower right. A common mistake is making the two parts the same width, so keep 日 narrower.

旺 (prosperous) has 日 on the left and 王 (king) on the right, while 昀 (mild sunlight) has 日 on the left and 匀 (uniform) on the right. 晃 has 日 on top and 光 below, and its meaning focuses on swaying or dazzling, unlike the prosperity of 旺 or the gentle light of 昀.

晃 is used as a verb, like in 晃眼 (dazzling), 摇晃 (to wobble), and 晃动 (to shake). It often describes physical movement or a visual effect that bothers the eyes. Though not in HSK, it appears in descriptions of unsteady objects or sudden bright lights.

Common words containing 晃 include: 摇晃 (yáo huàng) — to wobble; to shake; to be unsteady; 晃动 (huàng dòng) — To shake; to sway; to rock.; 晃眼 (huǎng yǎn) — dazzling; to blind the eyes.