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化

Mandarin · pinyin huā#

variant of 花 huā

Mandarin · pinyin huà#

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化: huà · change, convert, reform; -ize

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

1 · hua1

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1character link11same-tone records4source references

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 14 senses · 2 Cantonese readings

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

faa1 · faa3

Cantonese word readings for 化. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

character · Etymology 1

to change; to transform
to become; to turn into
(obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) to die
to melt
to dissolve
Suffix denoting "change into ...". Akin to English -ize and -ization.
(chemistry) Affix denoting combination.
(abbreviation, alt-of) short for 教化 (jiàohuà, “enlightenment; cultivation”)
(in compounds) short for 化學／化学 (huàxué, “chemistry”)
to burn
(Cantonese) open-minded; enlightened: accept the change

character · Etymology 2

(Hokkien) to ferment; to brew; to dissolve
(Zhangzhou Hokkien) to soak

character · Etymology 3

(Hokkien, alt-of, alternative) alternative form of 灰 (hoa, “to extinguish”)

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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