Chinese character for hero: 英雄 (yīngxióng)
The Chinese word for hero is 英雄 (yīngxióng). It means hero or heroic, as in 民族英雄 (national hero) and 英雄救美 (a hero saves a beauty). Both characters carry the idea of excellence and strength.
How 英雄 is built
英 (yīng) has the plant radical 艹 over 央 (yāng), which gives the sound; it first meant a flower or blossom and came to mean outstanding and brilliant. 雄 (xióng) joins 厷 for the sound with 隹 (zhuī), a bird, and first meant a male bird, so it came to mean strong and manly. Together, 英雄 is the finest bloom and the strongest bird: a hero. Both are identical in both scripts.
英 yīng · petal
- 艹cǎo — grass
- 央yāng — central
- 冂 — frame
- 丨 — vertical stroke
- 大dà — big
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 人rén — person
- 冂 — frame
Origin hint: 艹 gives the meaning, 央 gives the sound. (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
雄 xióng · alpha male
- 厷gōng — forearm
- 厶sī — private
- 隹zhuī — short-tailed bird
- 亻rén — person
How 英雄 is used
Before you use it as a tattoo or design: 英雄 is identical in both scripts and reads naturally; 英 alone often means 'English', so keep both characters.
Questions
What is the Chinese character for hero?
英雄 (yīngxióng) means “hero”.
How do you pronounce 英雄?
英雄 is pronounced yīngxióng.