的 de / dí / dì — (possessive particle); of; really and truly; aim; clear
这是我的书，那是你的笔。Zhè shì wǒ de shū, nà shì nǐ de bǐ.This is my book, and that is your pen.
Common words: 别的 (bié de)、真的 (zhēn de)、有的 (yǒu de)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "clear"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "clear", including 的 (de / dí / dì), 了 (le), 明 (míng), 白 (bái), 达 (dá), 清 (qīng). Study pinyin, English meanings…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "clear" covers 12 different Chinese characters — 的 (de / dí / dì), 了 (le), 明 (míng), 白 (bái), 达 (dá), 清 (qīng), 较 (jiào), 楚 (chǔ) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 12 characters do not share a sound — their readings span de, dí, dì, le, míng, bái, and more — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 的 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 的 de / dí / dì(possessive particle); of; really and truly; aim; clearUseful words: 别的, 真的
- 了 le(modal particle intensifying preceding clause); (completed action marker); to know; to understand; to know; clearUseful words: 为了, 了解
- 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
- 达 dáattain; pass through; achieve; reach; realize; clearUseful words: 达到, 表达
Common words for these 12 "clear" characters
Anchor each of these 12 characters in a word you can picture — start with 的 (de / dí / dì) — so "clear" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
别的bié deelse; other真的zhēn dereally; truly; indeed; real有的yǒu de(there are) some (who are...); some (exist)为了wèi lefor; for the purpose of; in order to了解liǎo jiěto understand; to realize; to find out极了jí leextremely; exceedingly明天míng tiāntomorrow明白míng baiclear; obvious; unequivocal; sensible明年míng niánnext year明白míng baiclear; obvious; unequivocal; sensible
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 12 ways to say "clear".
了 le — (modal particle intensifying preceding clause); (completed action marker); to know; to understand; to know; clear
我吃完饭了。Wǒ chī wán fàn le.I have finished eating.
Common words: 为了 (wèi le)、了解 (liǎo jiě)、极了 (jí le)
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)
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)
达 dá — attain; pass through; achieve; reach; realize; clear
火车准时到达了北京。Huǒ chē zhǔn shí dào dá le Běi jīng.The train arrived in Beijing on time.
Common words: 达到 (dá dào)、表达 (biǎo dá)、到达 (dào dá)
清 qīng — clear; distinct; complete; pure
河水很清，能看见水底的石头。Hé shuǐ hěn qīng, néng kàn jiàn shuǐ dǐ de shí tou.The river water is so clear you can see the stones at the bottom.
Common words: 清楚 (qīng chu)、清醒 (qīng xǐng)、清理 (qīng lǐ)
较 jiào — clear; distinct; compare; comparatively
今天的作业比较多。Jīn tiān de zuò yè bǐ jiào duō.There is relatively a lot of homework today.
Common words: 比较 (bǐ jiào)、较量 (jiào liàng)、计较 (jì jiào)
楚 chǔ — (surname); ancient place name; distinct; clear; orderly; pain
请把字写清楚一点儿。Qǐng bǎ zì xiě qīng chu yì diǎnr.Please write the characters a little more clearly.
Common words: 清楚 (qīng chu)、苦楚 (kǔ chǔ)、痛楚 (tòng chǔ)
All 12 characters
Open 的、了、明 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.