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皎 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
皎jiǎowhite; bright, brilliant; clearzg, 11 strokes, radical 白
jiǎo(jiao3) T3
  1. 1white; bright, brilliant; clear
Listen to the audio pronunciation 3 times to gain XP
March 24, 2026

皎jiǎo(jiao3)

The character 皎 (jiǎo) primarily means bright or clear, often used to describe something that shines or has a brilliant appearance. It is commonly associated with light, clarity, and purity, such as the brightness of the moon or the clarity of a surface. This character is often used in literary contexts to evoke a sense of beauty and brilliance.

Strokes11Radical白
Cultural Note

The character 皎 is often associated with traditional Chinese poetry, where the brightness of the moon is a common theme symbolizing beauty and longing. In Chinese culture, the moon is celebrated during festivals like the Mid-Autumn Festival, making this character relevant in various cultural contexts.

Memory Tip

Imagine a bright white moon (the character's meaning) shining in the night sky. The character 皎 looks like a round moon surrounded by clear air. Remember 'jiǎo' as the sound of the moon's soft glow, illuminating the darkness.

Meanings of 皎

jiǎo(jiao3)
1white; bright, brilliant; clear
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 皎

皎Simplified
11Strokes
白Radical
状态词stative word (stat.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 皎

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Podcast: 皎

Listen to Jason & Amy break down this word for you

AI Study Notes for 皎

Quick Contrast

皎 (jiǎo) vs 明 (míng) — use 皎 for a more poetic or literary sense of brightness, while 明 is more common and straightforward.

Usage Notes

皎 is typically used in a literary or poetic context rather than in everyday conversation. Be cautious not to confuse it with similar-sounding characters that have different meanings. It also often appears in collocations with words related to brightness or clarity, such as 皎洁 (bright and clean).

HSK Study Tips

Although 皎 is not part of the HSK vocabulary list, it relates to other HSK words like 明 (míng, bright) and 清 (qīng, clear). Students should focus on recognizing its literary usage and how it connects with themes of light and clarity in Chinese texts.

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 皎 with similar characters like 绍 (shào) or 照 (zhào), which have different meanings. For example, saying '我今晚要看皎月' (I want to see the 'bright' moon tonight) can be misleading; it should be '明月' (míng yuè) to correctly express 'bright moon'.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 皎

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Etymology of 皎

Formation Typepictophonetic
六书 ClassificationPhono-semantic (形声字)~80-90% of characters
Memory Hint

white

Semantic (meaning)白
+
Phonetic (sound)交
Learn more about Phono-semantic (形声字) characters

Jason Etymology Detective

Case file: 皎

  1. 1The meaning half白 carries the sense.
  2. 2The sound half交 is there for the reading, not the meaning.
  3. 3The giveawaywhite
  4. 4On the record aspictophonetic.

Every clue here comes from the character's recorded structure — nothing is guessed.

Want the full history of 皎? Jason searches the paleographic record, weighs the competing accounts and judges the popular story.

Charged once for this character — everyone reads it afterwards.
Exercise 1 of 1

Character Formation Type

What type of character formation is 皎?

Decomposition of 皎

IDS Structure⿰白交
皎Full Character
=
白Bai2
left
交jiao1
right
Exercise 1 of 2

Identify the Components

Which of these is a component of 皎?

How to say white; bright, brilliant; clear in Chinese

“white; bright, brilliant; clear” in Chinese is皎jiǎo

The character 皎 (jiǎo) primarily means bright or clear, often used to describe something that shines or has a brilliant appearance. It is commonly associated with light, clarity, and purity, such as the brightness of the moon or the clarity of a surface. This character is often used in literary contexts to evoke a sense of beauty and brilliance.

When to use 皎

皎 is typically used in a literary or poetic context rather than in everyday conversation. Be cautious not to confuse it with similar-sounding characters that have different meanings. It also often appears in collocations with words related to brightness or clarity, such as 皎洁 (bright and clean).

皎 or something close to it

皎 (jiǎo) vs 明 (míng) — use 皎 for a more poetic or literary sense of brightness, while 明 is more common and straightforward.

What learners get wrong

Learners often confuse 皎 with similar characters like 绍 (shào) or 照 (zhào), which have different meanings. For example, saying '我今晚要看皎月' (I want to see the 'bright' moon tonight) can be misleading; it should be '明月' (míng yuè) to correctly express 'bright moon'.

Write 皎

皎

Practice writing 皎 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.

Write correctly 3 times to earn XP

Word Family of 皎

Words Containing This Character4
皎洁shining clean皎潔
皎jiǎobright
皎皎clear and bright
皎白bright white
Exercise 1 of 4

Compound Meaning

What does 皎洁 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 皎

It is pronounced as 'jiǎo', with a rising tone, similar to how you would say 'jow' in English with a slight upward inflection.

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