涂 tú — to smear; daub; (surname); to smear; daub; to apply (paint)
小朋友在画纸上涂上了五颜六色。Xiǎo péng you zài huà zhǐ shàng tú shàng le wǔ yán liù sè.The child painted the drawing paper in many colors.
Common words: 糊涂 (hú tu)、涂抹 (tú mǒ)、一塌糊涂 (yī tā hú tu)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "paint"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "paint", including 涂 (tú), 漆 (qī). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words, and examples.
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "paint" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 涂 (tú), 漆 (qī) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span tú, qī — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 涂 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 涂 túto smear; daub; (surname); to smear; daub; to apply (paint)Useful words: 糊涂, 涂抹
- 漆 qīpaint; lacquerUseful words: 油漆, 生漆
Common words for these 2 "paint" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 涂 (tú) — so "paint" 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 "paint".
漆 qī — paint; lacquer
工人给旧门刷上了一层新漆。Gōng rén gěi jiù mén shuā shàng le yì céng xīn qī.The worker painted a new coat of paint on the old door.
Common words: 油漆 (yóu qī)、生漆 (shēng qī)、金漆 (jīn qī)
All 2 characters
Open 涂、漆 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.