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鸿 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
Hanzi
Pinyin
English
Tags
鸿
hóng
a species of wild swan; vast
HSK 5, nr, 11 strokes, radical 鸟, rank #36768, Hard
鸿
hóng
eastern bean goose
HSK 5, unknown, 11 strokes, radical 鸟, rank #36768, Hard
鸿
hóng
great
HSK 5, unknown, 11 strokes, radical 鸟, rank #36768, Hard
鸿
hóng
large
HSK 5, unknown, 11 strokes, radical 鸟, rank #36768, Hard
hóng(hong2)hong T2
1a species of wild swan; vast
2eastern bean goose
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March 24, 2026
鸿(鴻)hóng(hong2)
The character '鸿' (hóng) primarily refers to a wild swan or a large bird, often symbolizing greatness or vastness. It is commonly used in literary contexts or expressions that convey the idea of something grand or expansive, such as '鸿鹄之志' (hóng hú zhī zhì), meaning lofty aspirations.
Strokes11Radical鸟Frequency#36768DifficultyHard
Cultural note
'鸿' is often associated with auspiciousness in Chinese culture, especially in poetry and art, symbolizing high aspirations and noble qualities. Its representation in phrases reflects traditional values of ambition and achievement.
Memory tip
Picture a large, majestic swan gliding across a vast lake, its wings spread wide in a graceful arc. The character '鸿' resembles the silhouette of the swan's wings, with the top part suggesting the head and the bottom part symbolizing the water beneath, helping you remember that it means 'great' or 'vast'.
Meanings of 鸿
hóng(hong2)
1a species of wild swan; vast
2eastern bean goose
Exercise 1 of 2
By ear
Play it, then pick what 鸿 means.
About 鸿
鸿Simplified
鴻Traditional
11Strokes
鸟Radical
人名míngcíproper noun (pr.n.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank
HSK 3.0L5IntermediateCEFRB2
Podcast: 鸿
Podcast: 鸿
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AI study notes for 鸿
Quick Contrast
鸿 (hóng, swan) vs 鹄 (hú, wild goose) — choose 鸿 when emphasizing greatness or vastness, while 鹄 focuses more on the specific type of bird.
Usage Notes
While '鸿' can be used in both formal and informal contexts, it is more commonly found in literary or poetic expressions. Learners should avoid confusing it with similar-sounding characters like '红' (hóng) which means 'red'. Additionally, be mindful of the tone; 'hóng' is pronounced with a rising tone, which can change the meaning.
HSK Study Tips
Though '鸿' is not officially part of the HSK vocabulary list, it can be helpful for learners to recognize it alongside other HSK words that convey size or greatness. Focus on using it in phrases or idioms to strengthen contextual understanding.
Common Mistakes
Learners often confuse '鸿' with '红' (hóng), leading to incorrect usage. For example, saying '我喜欢鸿色' (wǒ xǐhuān hóng sè) intending to say 'I like red' is incorrect; it should be '我喜欢红色' (wǒ xǐhuān hóng sè).
AI-enhanced 2026-03-24
Pronunciation of 鸿
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鸿 = 鸟 + 江. What kind of character does that make it?
Decomposition of 鸿
IDS Structure⿰江鸟
鸿Full character
=
江Jiang1
left
鸟diao3
right
Exercise 1 of 2
Parts
Which of these is part of 鸿?
How to say a species of wild swan; vast in Chinese
“a species of wild swan; vast” in Chinese is鸿hóng
The character '鸿' (hóng) primarily refers to a wild swan or a large bird, often symbolizing greatness or vastness. It is commonly used in literary contexts or expressions that convey the idea of something grand or expansive, such as '鸿鹄之志' (hóng hú zhī zhì), meaning lofty aspirations.
When to use 鸿
While '鸿' can be used in both formal and informal contexts, it is more commonly found in literary or poetic expressions. Learners should avoid confusing it with similar-sounding characters like '红' (hóng) which means 'red'. Additionally, be mindful of the tone; 'hóng' is pronounced with a rising tone, which can change the meaning.
鸿 or something close to it
鸿 (hóng, swan) vs 鹄 (hú, wild goose) — choose 鸿 when emphasizing greatness or vastness, while 鹄 focuses more on the specific type of bird.
What learners get wrong
Learners often confuse '鸿' with '红' (hóng), leading to incorrect usage. For example, saying '我喜欢鸿色' (wǒ xǐhuān hóng sè) intending to say 'I like red' is incorrect; it should be '我喜欢红色' (wǒ xǐhuān hóng sè).
Write 鸿
鸿
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Grammar patterns of 鸿
鸿 functions as a noun — it names a person, place, thing, or concept. Place it as a subject before the verb (主+谓) or as an object after the verb (谓+宾). Most Chinese nouns require a measure word between the number and the noun (e.g. 一个/三本). It carries 4 related meanings, each with its own usage notes below. The example sentences below show it in action, with practice buttons (Listen, Practice Writing, Practice Speaking) on every line.
Exercise 1 of 4
Fill the gap
Type the missing word. Pinyin works; then pick the character.
盖茨以一篇有关部署策略的____篇大论予以回应。
Gates responds with a lengthy discourse on deployment strategy.
The whole situation with Miss Su made him feel uneasy.
10
方鸿 渐 自信说话得体.
fāng hóng jiān zìxìn shuōhuà détǐ.
Fang Hung - chien was certain that he had spoken very properly.
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Word Family of 鸿
Words containing this character20
鸿hónggreat鴻
鸿沟chasm鴻溝
鸿运good luck鴻運
鸿门宴Feast at Hongmen鴻門宴
黄飞鸿Wong Fei Hung (1847-1924), famous martial artist and revolutionary黃飛鴻
李鸿章Li Hung-chang or Li Hongzhang (1823-1901), Qing dynasty general, politician and diplomat李鴻章
徐悲鸿Xu Beihong (1895-1953), famous European trained painter and influential art teacher徐悲鴻
惊鸿lithe驚鴻
鸿雁(bird species of China) swan goose (Anser cygnoides)鴻雁
辜鸿铭Ku Hung-ming or Gu Hongming (1857-1928), Malaysian man of letters, highly regarded for his literary works written mostly in English, and known for his monarchist views辜鴻銘
鸿福good fortune鴻福
哀鸿遍野starving people fill the land哀鴻遍野
鸿图vast plan鴻圖
鸿鹄swan鴻鵠
轻于鸿毛unimportant輕於鴻毛
来鸿incoming letter (literary)來鴻
燕雀安知鸿鹄之志lit. can the sparrow and swallow know the will of the great swan? (idiom)燕雀安知鴻鵠之志
雪泥鸿爪a goose's footprint in the snow雪泥鴻爪
崔鸿Cui Hong, historian at the end of Wei of the Northern Dynasties 北魏崔鴻
泰山鸿毛as weighty as Mt Tai, as light as a feather (refers to death)泰山鴻毛
Exercise 1 of 4
Words with 鸿
What does 鸿沟 mean?
Frequently asked questions about 鸿
In a sentence, '鸿' can be used to describe something impressive or large, like in '鸿雁' (hóng yàn), meaning 'wild goose', emphasizing its grandeur.
'鸿' is pronounced with a rising tone, sounding like 'h-oh-ng', where the 'h' is soft and the 'o' is elongated.
While '鸿' is not commonly used in everyday conversation, it can appear in literary contexts or when discussing aspirations and achievements.
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