Chinese character for black: 黑 (hēi)
The Chinese character for black is 黑 (hēi). It means black or dark, as in 黑色 (hēisè, black color) and 黑夜 (hēiyè, night). It can also mean illegal or shady, as in 黑市 (black market).
How 黑 is built
黑 is explained as soot. The top part shows a chimney or window opening, and the four dots 灬 at the bottom are fire 火. Smoke from the fire leaves the opening black with soot. This is a standard explanation, and 黑 appears as a part in characters like 墨 (ink, made from soot). It is identical in simplified and traditional Chinese.
黑 hēi · black
- 灬huǒ — fire
Origin hint: A man's face blacked by soot from a fire 灬 (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
How 黑 is used
Before you use it as a tattoo or design: 黑 is identical in both scripts and reads well in black ink; it is rarely used alone as a personal motto.
Questions
What is the Chinese character for black?
黑 (hēi) means “black”.
How do you pronounce 黑?
黑 is pronounced hēi.