Chinese character for red: 红 (hóng)
The Chinese character for red is 红 (hóng). It means red, the color of luck, joy and celebration in China. It appears in 红色 (hóngsè, red color) and 红包 (hóngbāo, red envelope with money). It also means popular, as in 走红 (to become famous).
How 红 is built
红 joins 纟, the silk radical, with 工 (gōng), which gives the sound. Many color words have the silk radical because colors were first named from dyed silk threads. The traditional form 紅 writes the silk radical in full as 糸. As a memory aid, red silk worked 工 into festive cloth. Red is worn at weddings and New Year for good fortune.
红 hóng · red
- 纟sī — silk
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 工gōng — labor
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 丄shàng — above
- 丨 — vertical stroke
- 一 — horizontal stroke
Origin hint: 纟 gives the meaning, 工 gives the sound. (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
How 红 is used
Before you use it as a tattoo or design: Red ink is a natural match for 红 and its lucky meaning; choose simplified 红 or traditional 紅 consistently.
Questions
What is the Chinese character for red?
红 (hóng) means “red”. In traditional characters it is written 紅.
How do you pronounce 红?
红 is pronounced hóng.
Is 红 simplified or traditional?
红 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore; 紅 is the traditional form used in Taiwan and Hong Kong.