涨 zhǎng / zhàng — to rise (of prices; rivers); to swell; distend
下了几天雨，河水涨了不少。Xià le jǐ tiān yǔ, hé shuǐ zhǎng le bù shǎo.After raining for several days, the river rose quite a bit.
Common words: 上涨 (shàng zhǎng)、涨价 (zhǎng jià)、高涨 (gāo zhǎng)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to swell"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to swell", including 涨 (zhǎng / zhàng), 胀 (zhàng). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to swell" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 涨 (zhǎng / zhàng), 胀 (zhàng) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span zhǎng, zhàng — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 涨 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 涨 zhǎng / zhàngto rise (of prices; rivers); to swell; distendUseful words: 上涨, 涨价
- 胀 zhàngdropsical; swollen; to swell; to be bloatedUseful words: 膨胀, 胀大
Common words for these 2 "to swell" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 涨 (zhǎng / zhàng) — so "to swell" 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 "to swell".
胀 zhàng — dropsical; swollen; to swell; to be bloated
吃多了，肚子有点儿发胀。Chī duō le, dù zi yǒu diǎnr fā zhàng.I ate too much, and my stomach feels a bit bloated.
Common words: 膨胀 (péng zhàng)、胀大 (zhàng dà)、发胀 (fā zhàng)
All 2 characters
Open 涨、胀 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.