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 "blue"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "blue", including 青 (qīng), 蓝 (lán / la), 碧 (bì). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "blue" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 青 (qīng), 蓝 (lán / la), 碧 (bì) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span qīng, lán, la, bì — 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
- 蓝 lán / lakohlrabi; blueUseful words: 蓝色, 蓝天
- 碧 bìgreen jade; bluish green; blue; jadeUseful words: 碧玉, 碧绿
Common words for these 3 "blue" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 青 (qīng) — so "blue" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
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 3 ways to say "blue".
蓝 lán / la — kohlrabi; blue
大海是蓝色的，天空也是蓝色的。Dà hǎi shì lán sè de, tiān kōng yě shì lán sè de.The sea is blue, and so is the sky.
Common words: 蓝色 (lán sè)、蓝天 (lán tiān)、蓝领 (lán lǐng)
碧 bì — green jade; bluish green; blue; jade
湖水碧绿碧绿的，像一块翡翠。Hú shuǐ bì lǜ bì lǜ de, xiàng yí kuài fěi cuì.The lake water is emerald green, like a piece of jade.
Common words: 碧玉 (bì yù)、碧绿 (bì lǜ)、碧空 (bì kōng)
All 3 characters
Open 青、蓝、碧 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.