荷 hé / hè — lotus; peppermint; to carry burden
池塘里的荷花开了。Chí táng lǐ de hé huā kāi le.The lotus flowers in the pond have bloomed.
Common words: 荷花 (hé huā)、是荷 (shì hé)、荷重 (hè zhòng)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "lotus"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "lotus", including 荷 (hé / hè), 莲 (lián). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "lotus" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 荷 (hé / hè), 莲 (lián) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span hé, hè, lián — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 荷 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 荷 hé / hèlotus; peppermint; to carry burdenUseful words: 荷花, 是荷
- 莲 liánlotusUseful words: 莲子, 白莲
Common words for these 2 "lotus" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 荷 (hé / hè) — so "lotus" 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 2 ways to say "lotus".
莲 lián — lotus
池塘里的莲花开得正旺。Chí táng lǐ de lián huā kāi de zhèng wàng.The lotus flowers in the pond are blooming abundantly.
Common words: 莲子 (lián zǐ)、白莲 (bái lián)、莲步 (lián bù)
All 2 characters
Open 荷、莲 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.