How to Write 浓 (nóng) — Meaning “thick; dense; strong (flavor/smell)”

Imagine a farmer (农) pouring water (氵) to make a pot of very strong tea, which is 浓茶 (nóng chá). The water makes the tea thick and dark, so the character represents something thick or dense.

Stroke order: the left radical 氵 is written first (dot, dot, lift), then the right side 农 (dot, horizontal-left-fall, left-fall, horizontal, horizontal-left-fall, right-fall). A common mistake is confusing the right side with 衣 (clothes) — note that 农 has a top stroke like a short horizontal left-fall, not a dot on top.

浓 uses the phonetic 农 (farmer) and means thick or dense. 㳄 (xián) has 欠 (yawn) and means saliva, while 汧 (qiān) has 开 (open) and is a river name. The key visual difference is the right-side component — focus on 农 vs. 欠 vs. 开.

They use it to describe strong flavors like 浓茶 (strong tea) or 浓汤 (thick soup), and dense smells like 浓烟 (thick smoke). It also appears in abstract senses, such as 浓厚 interest or a 浓厚 atmosphere during festivals, highlighting a deep or intense quality.

Common words containing 浓 include: 浓茶 (nóng chá) — strong tea; 浓厚 (nóng hòu) — thick; strong; deep (interest/atmosphere); 浓烟 (nóng yān) — thick smoke.