HanziGuru.黑 · hēi
黑
hēi[hei1]Tone 1

black

HSK 2
Guru Deep Dive

English · black

Cached lesson
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Topology:Top-bottom
Strokes:12
Writing Balance Rule: The top components (representing soot or windows) sit flat and wide, while the four dots at the bottom must be evenly spaced across the base.
1. Meaning

black

darksinistersecret or shadyillegalto hack (computing)abbr. for Heilongjiang province
Adjective / VerbNeutral#colors#adjectives#slang#technology
Sample Usage
  • 这件衣服是黑色的。
    zhè jiàn yīfu shì hēi sè de.
    This piece of clothing is black.
  • 黑客攻击了网站。
    hēikè gōngjī le wǎngzhàn.
    Hackers attacked the website.
2. Sound
/[xeɪ̯⁵⁵]/Tone: 55
黑
hēihei1
++
¯(55)
=hēi
Initial Consonant
h
Type: Velar Fricative
Sounds like: h sound like in 'hat'
Unaspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: Gentle throat friction (like fogging glasses on a cold day).
Tongue & Mouth Position: Back of tongue raised toward the soft palate to create friction without stopping airflow.
Final Rhyme
ei
Vowel Group: -e vowel group
Sounds like: -ei rhymes with 'hey'
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'ay'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T1 (55)
1st Tone (High-Flat)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 1 is a high, level pitch that matches the flat intonation of saying 'ah' while a doctor checks your throat.
👂
Listening trap: Do not confuse it with hěi (which doesn't standardly exist) or huí. Pay attention to the pure 'ei' final sound.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: Keep your voice steady and high, like shouting a single prolonged note on a high piano key.
3. Writing

Topology: Top-bottom · Strokes: 12 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The top components (representing soot or windows) sit flat and wide, while the four dots at the bottom must be evenly spaced across the base.

4. Components

Radical 黑 · Black Radical (black, dark)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 灬 (Represents fire or embers at the bottom, creating soot)

Ancient pictograph showing a chimney (里) with soot and smoke (灬) rising, darkening the surroundings into pitch black.

  • 里 village or inside, here acting as the chimney frame
  • 灬 fire / flames / soot at the base
5. History
Liushu category: Compound ideogram (会意)

Origin: Originally depicted a human face tattooed with soot (a form of ancient punishment) or smoke rising from a fire, darkening the sky.

Semantic Evolution: From soot and smoke to the general concept of darkness, black color, and eventually modern slang terms like hacking or shady dealings.

  • In ancient China, facial tattooing (黥 qíng) used black ink, linking the character directly to punishment and dark markings.
6. Sinosphere
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: コク / Kun: くろ
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
흑
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story

Imagine a fireplace inside (里) a small cottage where a blazing fire with dancing flames (灬) produces thick, black soot that coats everything.

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
里(lǐ)
里 means inside or a village and lacks the four fire/soot dots (灬) at the bottom.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
这只猫是[___]色的。
Clue: hēi
Common Learner Pitfall

Writing too many or too few strokes at the bottom; remember the four dots (灬) represent the fire/soot base.

Memory Prompts
Recognition: What color does 黑 represent, and what are its modern tech connotations?
Production: How do you write the character for 'black' (hēi) using the fire/soot radical at the bottom?
Real-World Video Context

Watch authentic native speakers pronounce and explain this word in real-world YouTube videos.

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