明 míng — clear; bright; to understand; next; the Ming dynasty
明天是个晴天。Míng tiān shì ge qíng tiān.Tomorrow will be a sunny day.
Common words: 明天 (míng tiān)、明白 (míng bai)、明年 (míng nián)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "bright"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "bright", including 明 (míng), 白 (bái), 光 (guāng), 景 (jǐng), 亮 (liàng), 彩 (cǎi). Study pinyin, English meanings…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "bright" covers 10 different Chinese characters — 明 (míng), 白 (bái), 光 (guāng), 景 (jǐng), 亮 (liàng), 彩 (cǎi), 朗 (lǎng), 辉 (huī) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 10 characters do not share a sound — their readings span míng, bái, guāng, jǐng, liàng, cǎi, and more — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 明 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 明 míngclear; bright; to understand; next; the Ming dynastyUseful words: 明天, 明白
- 白 báiwhite; snowy; empty; blank; bright; clearUseful words: 明白, 白天
- 光 guānglight; ray; brightUseful words: 阳光, 光明
- 景 jǐngbright; circumstance; sceneryUseful words: 景色, 背景
- 亮 liànglight; brightUseful words: 漂亮, 月亮
Common words for these 10 "bright" characters
Anchor each of these 10 characters in a word you can picture — start with 明 (míng) — so "bright" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
明天míng tiāntomorrow明白míng baiclear; obvious; unequivocal; sensible明年míng niánnext year明白míng baiclear; obvious; unequivocal; sensible白天bái tiāndaytime; during the day; day白色bái sèwhite; fig. reactionary; anti-communist阳光yáng guāngsunshine; (of personality) upbeat; energetic; transparent (open to public scrutiny)光明guāng mínglight; radiance; (fig.) bright (prospects etc); openhearted不光bù guāngnot the only one; not only景色jǐng sèscenery; landscape; view
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 10 ways to say "bright".
白 bái — white; snowy; empty; blank; bright; clear
天上飘着白白的云。Tiān shàng piāo zhe bái bái de yún.White clouds are floating in the sky.
Common words: 明白 (míng bai)、白天 (bái tiān)、白色 (bái sè)
光 guāng — light; ray; bright
早晨的阳光很温暖。Zǎo chén de yáng guāng hěn wēn nuǎn.The morning sunlight is very warm.
Common words: 阳光 (yáng guāng)、光明 (guāng míng)、不光 (bù guāng)
景 jǐng — bright; circumstance; scenery
西湖的景色一年四季都很美。Xī hú de jǐng sè yì nián sì jì dōu hěn měi.The scenery of West Lake is beautiful all year round.
Common words: 景色 (jǐng sè)、背景 (bèi jǐng)、风景 (fēng jǐng)
亮 liàng — light; bright
天刚亮，他就起床了。Tiān gāng liàng, tā jiù qǐ chuáng le.As soon as it got light, he got up.
Common words: 漂亮 (piào liang)、月亮 (yuè liang)、明亮 (míng liàng)
彩 cǎi — (bright) color; variety; applause; applaud; (lottery) prize; colored
雨后的天空出现了一道彩虹。Yǔ hòu de tiān kōng chū xiàn le yí dào cǎi hóng.A rainbow appeared in the sky after the rain.
Common words: 精彩 (jīng cǎi)、彩色 (cǎi sè)、色彩 (sè cǎi)
朗 lǎng — clear; bright
同学们大声朗读着课文。Tóng xué men dà shēng lǎng dú zhe kè wén.The students are reading the text aloud.
Common words: 晴朗 (qíng lǎng)、朗读 (lǎng dú)、开朗 (kāi lǎng)
辉 huī — bright; glorious
夕阳的余辉洒在湖面上。Xī yáng de yú huī sǎ zài hú miàn shàng.The afterglow of the setting sun spreads over the lake.
Common words: 辉煌 (huī huáng)、光辉 (guāng huī)、生辉 (shēng huī)
All 10 characters
Open 明、白、光 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.