青 qīng — green (blue; black)
青青的草地上开着小花。Qīng qīng de cǎo dì shàng kāi zhe xiǎo huā.Little flowers bloom on the green grass.
Common words: 青年 (qīng nián)、青少年 (qīng shào nián)、青春 (qīng chūn)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "black"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "black", including 青 (qīng), 黑 (hēi), 乌 (wū), 黎 (lí), 玄 (xuán). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "black" covers 5 different Chinese characters — 青 (qīng), 黑 (hēi), 乌 (wū), 黎 (lí), 玄 (xuán) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 5 characters do not share a sound — their readings span qīng, hēi, wū, lí, xuán — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 青 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 青 qīnggreen (blue; black)Useful words: 青年, 青少年
- 黑 hēiblack; darkUseful words: 黑色, 黑板
- 乌 wūa crow; blackUseful words: 乌云, 乌黑
- 黎 lí(surname); black; abbreviation for LebanonUseful words: 黎明, 黎民
- 玄 xuánblack; mysteriousUseful words: 玄机, 玄学
Common words for these 5 "black" characters
Anchor each of these 5 characters in a word you can picture — start with 青 (qīng) — so "black" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
青年qīng niányouth; youthful years; young person; the young青少年qīng shào niánadolescent; youth; teenager青春qīng chūnyouth; youthfulness黑色hēi sèblack黑板hēi bǎnblackboard黑暗hēi àndark; darkly; darkness乌云wū yúnblack cloud乌黑wū hēijet-black; dark乌有wū yǒu(literary) not to exist; nonexistent; illusory黎明lí míngdawn; daybreak
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 5 ways to say "black".
黑 hēi — black; dark
天黑了，街上的灯都亮了。Tiān hēi le, jiē shàng de dēng dōu liàng le.It got dark, and the street lights all came on.
Common words: 黑色 (hēi sè)、黑板 (hēi bǎn)、黑暗 (hēi àn)
乌 wū — a crow; black
天上飘来一片乌云。Tiān shàng piāo lái yí piàn wū yún.A dark cloud drifted in the sky.
Common words: 乌云 (wū yún)、乌黑 (wū hēi)、乌有 (wū yǒu)
黎 lí — (surname); black; abbreviation for Lebanon
黎明的时候，公鸡开始打鸣。Lí míng de shí hou, gōng jī kāi shǐ dǎ míng.At dawn, the rooster begins to crow.
Common words: 黎明 (lí míng)、黎民 (lí mín)、巴黎绿 (bā lí lǜ)
玄 xuán — black; mysterious
这个故事听起来十分玄妙。Zhè ge gù shi tīng qǐ lái shí fēn xuán miào.This story sounds very mysterious.
Common words: 玄机 (xuán jī)、玄学 (xuán xué)、玄理 (xuán lǐ)
All 5 characters
Open 青、黑、乌 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.