Hanzi Writer

How to Write 明 (míng) — Meaning “bright; clear; tomorrow”

míng HSK Level 1 8 strokes Radical: 日

明 (míng) means "bright; clear; tomorrow" in Chinese. It has 8 strokes with the radical 日, and is HSK Level 1.

Rated 3.2/5 in difficulty (challenging).

Harder than 66% of HSK Level 1 characters.

Appears in 3+ common words including 明天 (míng tiān), 明白 (míng bái), 聪明 (cōng míng).

Due to its 8 strokes, Hanzi Writer's error detection shows 明 requires focused practice — most learners need 10+ attempts for consistent accuracy.

Stroke order practice for 明 - míng

Practice Writing 明 (míng)

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

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How to Write 明

The character 明 (míng) is written with 8 strokes. Follow the standard Chinese stroke order: top to bottom, left to right, outside before inside. The radical 日 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 míng (明) Mean in Chinese?

明 means bright; clear; tomorrow.

As an HSK Level 1 character, 明 is among the first characters beginners learn.

Character Data

Character明
Pinyinmíng (ming)
Meaningbright; clear; tomorrow
Strokes8
Radical日
HSK Level1
Difficulty3.2/5

Origin of 明

明 is a compound of 日 (sun) and 月 (moon). Together, the two brightest celestial bodies symbolize brightness, clarity, and light. The meaning 'tomorrow' extends from the idea of the next day's light.

💡 Memory Tip: Picture the sun (日) and moon (月) together in the sky, shining so brightly that they light up tomorrow.

Common Words with 明

明天 míng tiān
tomorrow
明白 míng bái
To understand / Clear
聪明 cōng míng
smart; clever

Example Sentences

明天是星期一。

míng tiān shì xīng qī yī

Tomorrow is Monday.

我明白你的意思。

wǒ míng bái nǐ de yì si

I understand what you mean.

这个孩子很聪明。

zhè ge hái zi hěn cōng míng

This child is very smart.

Similar Characters Comparison

Character Pinyin Strokes Radical
明 (current) míng 8 日
旨 zhǐ 6 日
早 zǎo 6 日
旭 xù 6 日
Stroke order practice for 明 - míng

Practice Writing 明 (míng)

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

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

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Frequently Asked Questions about 明

明 is made of two parts: 日 (sun) on the left and 月 (moon) on the right. Both the sun and moon are sources of light, so together they give the meaning of 'bright' or 'clear'.

More HSK Level 1 Characters

爱ài好hǎo/hào八bā爸bà吧ba/bā白bái天tiān百bǎi班bān半bàn年nián帮bāng忙máng包bāo子zi/zǐ杯bēi北běi边biān京jīng本běn

Characters with Radical 日

日rì旦dàn旧jiù旨zhǐ早zǎo旭xù旮gā旯lá旰gàn旱hàn

Other 8-Stroke Characters

㐭lǐn丧sāng/sàng乖guāi乳rǔ乶fǔ事shì些xiē亟jí享xiǎng京jīng