Each colour is one part of the character. Parts repeat across thousands of characters, so learning them makes new words easier. See all 214 in our radicals chart.
新xīnnew
亲relatives · qīn
斤axe · jīn
Memory aidAn axe 斤 cutting wood. It first meant firewood, freshly cut, and so “new”.
闻wénto hear
门gate · ménSound part
耳ear · ěrMeaning part
耳 hints at the meaning (ear); 门 (mén) hints at the sound. Compare it with wén.
How to write 新闻
新 13 strokes · 闻 9 strokes
Watch the order, then press Try writing it and draw each stroke in the grid. Each stroke is checked as you go.
Stroke order chart for 新闻 (xīnwén). Red marks the next stroke, so you can copy it onto paper one step at a time.
Say it xīnwén: xīn with a 1st tone, then wén with a 2nd tone. Press Listen at the top of this page to hear it, or Slowly to hear each tone clearly.
In Traditional characters, used in Taiwan and Hong Kong, 新闻 is written 新聞. The pronunciation is the same.
Use 条 (tiáo). For example, one news is 一条新闻 (yì tiáo xīnwén).
Add a Chinese (Simplified) pinyin keyboard to your phone or computer, type xinwen with no tone marks or spaces, then choose 新闻 from the suggestions. Typing xinwen into this dictionary’s search box finds it too.
新闻 is an HSK 3 word in the HSK 2.0 word lists.
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Sources: meaning and pinyin checked by a native Mandarin teacher against the official HSK lists. Extra meanings from CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0). Example sentences from Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR). Character parts and stroke order from Make Me a Hanzi.
新xīn1st tone, high and level
闻wén2nd tone, rising
