换 (huàn): to change, to exchange
换 (huàn) is a Chinese character meaning “to change, to exchange.” Classified as HSK Level 3 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 扌 (semantic) and 奂 (phonetic). It ranks #824 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 换 hand. Its radical form 扌 (hand) appears in many related characters such as 手 (shǒu, hand), 打 (dǎ, hit, make), 找 (zhǎo, to look for).
Definitions
- to change, to exchange
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 换 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 换
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 交换verb | jiāo huàn | to exchange | 5 |
| 转换verb | zhuǎn huàn | to change | 6 |
| 更换verb | gēng huàn | to replace (a worn-out tire etc) | 5 |
| 换乘verb | huàn chéng | to change train (plane, bus etc) | 4 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 换句话说 | huàn jù huà shuō | in other words |
| 替换 | tì huàn | to exchange |
| 换取 | huàn qǔ | to obtain (sth) in exchange |
| 改头换面 | gǎi tóu huàn miàn | to change outwardly while remaining essentially the same (derog.) (idiom) |
| 换班 | huàn bān | to change shift |
| 变换 | biàn huàn | to transform |
| 兑换 | duì huàn | to convert |
| 切换 | qiē huàn | to switch over |
| 换成 | huàn chéng | to exchange (sth) for (sth else) |
| 脱胎换骨 | tuō tāi huàn gǔ | to shed one's mortal body and exchange one's bones (idiom) |
| 调换 | diào huàn | to exchange |
| 互换 | hù huàn | to exchange |
| 转换器 | zhuǎn huàn qì | converter |
| 换气 | huàn qì | to take a breath (in swimming) |
| 换钱 | huàn qián | to change money |
换 appears in 100 compound words: 40 as the first character, 34 as the last, and 26 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 换 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (16)
to improve one's family's social status by moving up in the world; to switch one's allegiance to a new patron
to improve one's family's social status by moving up in the world; to switch one's allegiance to a new patron
Showing 12 of 16 idioms containing 换.
Example Sentences
这个手机用了三年了，我想换一个新的。
Zhè gè shǒujī yòng le sān nián le, wǒ xiǎng huàn yí gè xīn de.
I've used this phone for three years; I want to get a new one.
超商换冰拿铁“店员跳针狂问2字”真相曝
chāo shāng huàn bīng ná tiě diàn yuán tiào zhēn kuáng wèn zì zhēn xiāng pù
Convenience Store Swaps Iced Latte: "Clerk Keeps Repeating Two Words" Truth Revealed
...市大安区医美董座开工中弹 枪手变装+交替换车制造断点逃逸
. . . shì dà ān qū yī měi dǒng zuò kāi gōng zhōng dàn qiāng shǒu biàn zhuāng jiāo tì huàn chē zhì zào duàn diǎn táo yì
Medical Aesthetics Chairman Shot During Work in Taipei's Da'an District Gunman Disguised, Used Alternating Vehicles to Create Disruptions During Escape
2 月 21 日蔚来换电 17.6 万次:连续四日创新高,平均...
yuè rì 蔚 lái huàn diàn . wàn cì lián xù sì rì chuàng xīn gāo , píng jūn . . .
February 21: NIO battery swaps hit 176,000 times, marking a record high for the fourth consecutive day with an average...
不只换轮胎那么简单:比亚迪详解澳洲车型本地化调...
bù zhī huàn lún tāi nà má jiǎn dān bǐ yà dí xiáng jiě ào zhōu chē xíng běn dì huà diào . . .
More than just changing tires: BYD explains localized tuning of Australian models...
涉行贿800万换取贷款申请 反贪会捕前电讯公司董事
shè háng huì wàn huàn qǔ dài kuǎn shēn qǐng fǎn tān huì bǔ qián diàn xùn gōng sī dǒng shì
Ex-Telecom Director Arrested by Anti-Corruption Commission for Taking $8 Million in Bribes in Exchange for Loan Applications
能给我换个房间吗？
Néng gěi wǒ huàn gè fángjiān ma?
Can you change the room for me?
这儿要换地铁和轻轨方便吗？
Zhèr yào huàn dìtiě hé qīngguǐ fāngbiàn ma?
Is it convenient to transfer between the subway and the light rail here?
请你帮我换一点零钱行吗？
Qǐng nǐ bāng wǒ huàn yīdiǎn língqián xíng ma?
Could you please exchange some small change with me?
您愿意跟我换座位吗？
Nín yuànyì gēn wǒ huàn zuòwèi ma?
Will you switch seats with me?
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 换 (huàn) mean in Chinese?
How many strokes does 换 have?
What is the radical of 换?
What are the components of 换?
What are common words containing 换?
What characters sound the same as 换 (huàn)?
Is 换 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 换 with real-time feedback
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