波 bō — wave; ripple; storm; surge
微风吹过，湖面泛起一阵波纹。Wēi fēng chuī guò, hú miàn fàn qǐ yí zhèn bō wén.A breeze blew, and ripples appeared on the lake.
Common words: 波动 (bō dòng)、微波炉 (wēi bō lú)、奔波 (bēn bō)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "wave"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "wave", including 波 (bō), 阵 (zhèn), 浪 (làng). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "wave" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 波 (bō), 阵 (zhèn), 浪 (làng) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span bō, zhèn, làng — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 波 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 波 bōwave; ripple; storm; surgeUseful words: 波动, 微波炉
- 阵 zhèndisposition of troops; short period; wave; spate; burst; spellUseful words: 一阵, 阵地
- 浪 làngwave; breaker; unrestrained; dissipatedUseful words: 浪费, 浪漫
Common words for these 3 "wave" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 波 (bō) — so "wave" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
波动bō dòngto undulate; to fluctuate; wave motion; rise and fall微波炉wēi bō lúmicrowave oven奔波bēn bōto rush about; to be constantly on the move一阵yī zhèna burst; a fit; a peal; a spell (period of time)阵地zhèn dì(military) position; front阵容zhèn róngtroop arrangement; battle formation; lineup (of a sports team etc)浪费làng fèito waste; to squander浪漫làng mànromantic流浪liú làngto drift about; to wander; to roam; nomadic
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 3 ways to say "wave".
阵 zhèn — disposition of troops; short period; wave; spate; burst; spell
一阵大雨过后，空气清新了许多。Yí zhèn dà yǔ guò hòu, kōng qì qīng xīn le xǔ duō.After a burst of rain, the air became much fresher.
Common words: 一阵 (yī zhèn)、阵地 (zhèn dì)、阵容 (zhèn róng)
浪 làng — wave; breaker; unrestrained; dissipated
海上的波浪一阵接一阵。Hǎi shàng de bō làng yí zhèn jiē yí zhèn.The waves on the sea come one after another.
Common words: 浪费 (làng fèi)、浪漫 (làng màn)、流浪 (liú làng)
All 3 characters
Open 波、阵、浪 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.