How do you remember the character 春?

Three horizontal branches (三) and sweeping leaves (人) gracefully frame the warm spring sun (日). InkSeal turns this into a full illustration where the strokes of 春 live inside the artwork.

What are the components of 春?

春 is built from 𠂇 (old hand), 日 (sun / day). Recognizing recurring components like these makes new characters much easier to learn.

What common words use 春?

Common words with 春 include 春天 (chūn tiān, spring), 春季 (chūn jì, springtime), 春节 (Chūn jié, Spring Festival).

Chinese character · HSK 2

春 (chūn) — “spring”

Q: What does the Chinese character 春 mean?

春 (pronounced chūn) means “spring” in Mandarin Chinese. It is an HSK 2 character. An ideogram depicting the essence of spring: plants and branches (the top 𡗗 structure, visually resembling 三 and 人) bursting forth and spreading out under the nourishing warmth of the sun (日).

An ideogram depicting the essence of spring: plants and branches (the top 𡗗 structure, visually resembling 三 and 人) bursting forth and spreading out under the nourishing warmth of the sun (日).

Memory cue

Three horizontal branches (三) and sweeping leaves (人) gracefully frame the warm spring sun (日).

Visual mnemonic illustration of the Chinese character 春 (spring) — The strokes of 春 stay visible inside the illustration.

Video mnemonic

Watch 春 in motion

See the visual story unfold, then connect it to the words and sentences below.

Common ways to use 春

春 reads chūn in this set: it names the spring season and Spring Festival, and it also evokes the “springtime” of life in words about youth.

春天

chūn tiān · spring

我喜欢春天的天气。

I like the weather in spring.

春季

chūn jì · springtime

春季这里常常下雨。

It often rains here in spring.

Usage note: 春季 is more formal than 春天 and is common in schedules, reports, and written descriptions.

春节

Chūn jié · Spring Festival

今年春节，我们去北京看亲戚。

This Spring Festival, we are going to Beijing to visit relatives.

Usage note: This is the standard Chinese name for Chinese New Year, not a general term for any festival held in spring.

青春

qīng chūn · youth

这部电影讲的是他们的青春。

This movie is about their youth.

Usage note: 青春 is a noun for youth or youthfulness; 年轻 usually describes someone as young.

青春期

qīng chūn qī · adolescence or puberty

孩子进入青春期以后，变化很大。

After children enter adolescence, they change a lot.

Usage note: This refers to the developmental stage of adolescence, not youth in general.

Inside the character

𠂇 (old hand) — meaning component. An ancient left-hand form — appears at the top of 友 / 有 / 右 / 左 and many others, marking a hand-grip stroke.
日 (sun / day) — meaning component. Often contributes daylight, brightness, weather, or time-related meaning.

Where 春 comes from

In ancient oracle bone script, it was composed of 艹 (plants), 屯 (a sprout pushing through hard soil), and 日 (sun), illustrating the sun's energy drawing dormant life out of the winter earth. Over centuries of stylization, the top elements merged into 𡗗.

春 in Oracle bone script — Oracle bone script (甲骨文)

春 in Bronze inscription — Bronze inscription (金文)

Learn 春 the visual way. InkSeal pairs every HSK 1–6 character with an illustration like this one, Common-use words and sentences, component breakdowns, etymology, and recall-first review. The first 100 characters are free.

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More characters: 渡 (dù, to cross (a river / sea)) · 炒 (chǎo, stir-fry / sauté) · 狗 (gǒu, dog) — or browse the full character library.