香 xiāng — fragrant; incense; (of food) savory; appetizing; sweet; scented
厨房里飘来一阵饭菜的香味。Chú fáng lǐ piāo lái yí zhèn fàn cài de xiāng wèi.The smell of food wafted from the kitchen.
Common words: 香蕉 (xiāng jiāo)、香肠 (xiāng cháng)、香水 (xiāng shuǐ)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "fragrant"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "fragrant", including 香 (xiāng), 芳 (fāng), 喷 (pēn / pèn), 芬 (fēn). Study pinyin, English meanings…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "fragrant" covers 4 different Chinese characters — 香 (xiāng), 芳 (fāng), 喷 (pēn / pèn), 芬 (fēn) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 4 characters do not share a sound — their readings span xiāng, fāng, pēn, pèn, fēn — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 香 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 香 xiāngfragrant; incense; (of food) savory; appetizing; sweet; scentedUseful words: 香蕉, 香肠
- 芳 fāngfragrantUseful words: 芬芳, 芳心
- 喷 pēn / pènto puff; to spout; to spray; to spurt; fragrant; sneezeUseful words: 打喷嚏, 喷泉
- 芬 fēnfragrantUseful words: 芬芳, 马芬
Common words for these 4 "fragrant" characters
Anchor each of these 4 characters in a word you can picture — start with 香 (xiāng) — so "fragrant" 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 4 ways to say "fragrant".
芳 fāng — fragrant
花园里芳香扑鼻，让人心情舒畅。Huā yuán lǐ fāng xiāng pū bí, ràng rén xīn qíng shū chàng.The garden is full of fragrance, making people feel cheerful.
Common words: 芬芳 (fēn fāng)、芳心 (fāng xīn)、流芳 (liú fāng)
喷 pēn / pèn — to puff; to spout; to spray; to spurt; fragrant; sneeze
鲸鱼从头顶喷出一道水柱。Jīng yú cóng tóu dǐng pēn chū yí dào shuǐ zhù.The whale spouted a column of water from its head.
Common words: 打喷嚏 (dǎ pēn tì)、喷泉 (pēn quán)、喷出 (pēn chū)
芬 fēn — fragrant
花园里芬芳四溢，引来许多蜜蜂。Huā yuán lǐ fēn fāng sì yì, yǐn lái xǔ duō mì fēng.The garden is full of fragrance, attracting many bees.
Common words: 芬芳 (fēn fāng)、马芬 (mǎ fēn)、芬尼 (fēn ní)
All 4 characters
Open 香、芳、喷 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.