Chinese character for light: 光 (guāng)
The Chinese character for light is 光 (guāng). It means light or brightness, as in 阳光 (yángguāng, sunlight) and 光明 (guāngmíng, bright, light). It also means 'only' or 'used up' in some phrases.
How 光 is built
光 is explained as fire carried above a person. The top part comes from 火 (fire), and the bottom part 儿 is a person's legs. In ancient forms, it shows a person holding up a flame, giving light. This is a standard explanation. The character is the same in simplified and traditional Chinese and appears in many words for light, glory and brightness.
光 guāng · light
- ⺌ — structural part
- 兀wù — weak
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 儿ér — child
- 丿 — falling stroke
- 乚 — hook stroke
Origin hint: A person 儿 carrying a torch 火 (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
How 光 is used
Other ways to say light
- 光明 guāngmíng — light and brightness, also hope
- 明 míng — bright, clear
Before you use it as a tattoo or design: 光 is identical in both scripts; 光明 adds the sense of hope and a bright future.
Questions
What is the Chinese character for light?
光 (guāng) means “light”.
How do you pronounce 光?
光 is pronounced guāng.