advertisement; commercial; ad
HSK level
广告 is written with 10 strokes (广: 3, 告: 7). The animation replays automatically.
广告 (guǎnggào) means 'advertisement, commercial, or ad' — a paid message meant to promote a product, service, or event.
It covers TV and radio commercials (电视广告), print ads (报纸广告), online banner ads, and billboards. Literally 'widely announce,' it is a noun; the act of advertising is expressed with 做广告 ('to make/run an ad') or 打广告 ('to place an ad'). Two differences from English: first, Chinese uses one word for both the still 'advertisement' and the video 'commercial,' where English splits them; you rely on context or a modifier.
Second, 广告 as a verb does not stand alone — you must pair it with 做 or 打, unlike English 'to advertise.' Register is neutral and appears constantly in daily life, marketing, and media.
Character by character
Memory hook: 广 (wide) + 告 (announce) = to announce widely, i.e. an advertisement.
电视上的广告太多了。
Diànshì shang de guǎnggào tài duō le.
There are too many ads on TV.
spoken
这家公司花了很多钱做广告。
Zhè jiā gōngsī huāle hěn duō qián zuò guǎnggào.
This company spent a lot of money on advertising.
neutral
我在网上看到了这个广告。
Wǒ zài wǎngshàng kàndào le zhège guǎnggào.
I saw this ad online.
spoken
他在一家广告公司工作。
Tā zài yì jiā guǎnggào gōngsī gōngzuò.
He works at an advertising agency.
neutral
宣传 means 'promotion / publicity,' broader and often non-commercial (a public-health campaign is 宣传). 广告 is specifically a paid commercial message. All 广告 is 宣传, but 宣传 also covers propaganda and free promotion.
广播 means 'broadcast / radio,' the medium. 广告 means 'advertisement,' the paid content. They share 广 but differ entirely: an ad (广告) can air on a broadcast (广播).
通知 is a notice or announcement conveying information (a meeting time, a schedule change). 广告 is a paid promotional message. A school posts a 通知; a company buys a 广告.
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