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)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "light"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "light", including 光 (guāng), 轻 (qīng), 亮 (liàng), 灯 (dēng). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "light" covers 4 different Chinese characters — 光 (guāng), 轻 (qīng), 亮 (liàng), 灯 (dēng) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 4 characters do not share a sound — their readings span guāng, qīng, liàng, dēng — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 光 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 光 guānglight; ray; brightUseful words: 阳光, 光明
- 轻 qīnglight; easy; gentle; soft; reckless; unimportantUseful words: 年轻, 轻松
- 亮 liànglight; brightUseful words: 漂亮, 月亮
- 灯 dēnglamp; lightUseful words: 灯光, 电灯
Common words for these 4 "light" characters
Anchor each of these 4 characters in a word you can picture — start with 光 (guāng) — so "light" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
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年轻nián qīngyoung轻松qīng sōnglight; gentle; relaxed; effortless轻易qīng yìeasy; simple; rashly; offhandedly漂亮piào liangpretty; beautiful月亮yuè liangthe moon明亮míng liàngbright; shining; glittering; to become clear灯光dēng guāng(stage) lighting; light
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 "light".
轻 qīng — light; easy; gentle; soft; reckless; unimportant
这个箱子很轻，我一个人就能搬。Zhè ge xiāng zi hěn qīng, wǒ yí ge rén jiù néng bān.This box is very light; I can carry it by myself.
Common words: 年轻 (nián qīng)、轻松 (qīng sōng)、轻易 (qīng yì)
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)
灯 dēng — lamp; light
天黑了，请把灯打开。Tiān hēi le, qǐng bǎ dēng dǎ kāi.It got dark; please turn on the light.
Common words: 灯光 (dēng guāng)、电灯 (diàn dēng)、台灯 (tái dēng)
All 4 characters
Open 光、轻、亮 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.