冥 (míng): dark, deep

冥 (míng) is a Chinese character meaning “dark.” Classified as HSK Level 7-9 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), with radical 冖 (cover). It ranks #2408 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).

Native pronunciation

HSK 7-9 Radical: 冖 cover10 strokesFrequency #2408

Definitions

dark
deep

Stroke Order

Practice writing 冥 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.

Words & Compounds

Common Compounds

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
冥王星	míng wáng xīng	Pluto (dwarf planet)
冥想	míng xiǎng	to meditate
冥府	míng fǔ	underworld
冥顽	míng wán	stupidly obstinate
苦思冥想	kǔ sī míng xiǎng	(idiom) to think deeply
冥顽不灵	míng wán bù líng	(idiom) pigheaded
冥思苦想	míng sī kǔ xiǎng	to consider from all angles (idiom)
冥思苦索	míng sī kǔ suǒ	to mull over (idiom)
冥道	míng dào	path to the underworld (in Daoist or folk beliefs, referring to the journey of spirits after death)
冥冥之中	míng míng zhī zhōng	in the unseen world of spirits
冥合	míng hé	to agree implicitly
冥界	míng jiè	ghost world
风雨晦冥	fēng yǔ huì míng	conditions of extreme adversity (idiom)
冥王	míng wáng	the king of hell
冥钱	míng qián	joss paper made to resemble paper money

Total compounds

As first character

As last character

As middle character

冥 appears in 24 compound words: 75 as the first character, 17 as the last, and 8 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.

Idioms & Chengyu (2)

冥思苦索míngsīkǔsuǒHSK 5+

to think long and hard; to rack one's brains; to cudgel one's brains

phrase

冥顽不灵míngwánbùlíngHSK 6+

obstinate and ignorant; stubborn and benighted

phrase

Example Sentences

AI-Generated

写好冥字需要掌握正确的笔画顺序。

xiě hǎo míng zì xū yāo zhǎng wò zhèng què de bǐ huà shùn xù .

To write the character "冥" correctly, you need to master the correct stroke order.

Ign中国Mar 2026

《死亡搁浅2:冥滩之上》“生日快乐”动捕花絮

sǐ wáng gē qiǎn 2 : míng tān zhī shàng shēng rì kuài lè dòng bǔ huā xù

Nownews今日新聞Mar 2026

雪莉32岁冥诞!生前遭网暴精神崩溃 IU介绍她看心理...

xuě lì 3 2 suì míng dàn ! shēng qián zāo wǎng bào jīng shén bēng kuì I U jiè shào tā kàn xīn lǐ . . .

Ign中国Mar 2026

《死亡搁浅2:冥滩之上》角色预告

sǐ wáng gē qiǎn 2 : míng tān zhī shàng jiǎo sè yù gào

Ign中国Mar 2026

PC版《死亡搁浅2:冥滩之上》发售预告

P C bǎn sǐ wáng gē qiǎn 2 : míng tān zhī shàng fā shòu yù gào

三立新聞網Feb 2026

宁夏夜市地上掉红包民众示警:恐是冥婚

nìng xià yè shì dì shàng diào hóng bāo mín zhòng shì jǐng : kǒng shì míng hūn

Character Family

Frequently Asked Questions

What does 冥 (míng) mean in Chinese?

冥 (míng) primarily means "dark." It is classified as HSK Level 7-9, making it an expert-level character. It ranks #2408 in character frequency.

What's the difference between 冥 and 灯?

冥 (míng) and 灯 (dēng) are often confused. antonym. The key distinguishing feature: 冥 (dark) vs 灯 (light).

How many strokes does 冥 have?

冥 is written with 10 strokes. The correct stroke order matters for recognition and handwriting speed — practice with the animated guide above to build proper technique.

What is the radical of 冥?

The radical associated with 冥 is 冖 (cover). This radical appears in many characters related to cover.

What are common words containing 冥?

Common words with 冥 include: 冥王星 (míng wáng xīng, "Pluto (dwarf planet)"); 冥想 (míng xiǎng, "to meditate"); 冥府 (míng fǔ, "underworld"); 冥顽 (míng wán, "stupidly obstinate"); 苦思冥想 (kǔ sī míng xiǎng, "(idiom) to think deeply"). There are over 24 compound words containing this character.

Is 冥 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?

No. The simplified form is 冥 and the traditional form is 㝠.

Practice writing 冥 with real-time feedback

Trace stroke sequences, hear native pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.

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