文化
culture
HSK level
- Pinyin
- wénhuà
- Part of speech
- noun
- Level
- HSK 3
- Strokes
- 8
- Register
- neutral
- Measure word
- 种 / 个
- In episodes
- 1
Stroke order for 文化
文化 is written with 8 strokes (文: 4, 化: 4). The animation replays automatically.
What does 文化 mean?
文化 (wénhuà) is the noun 'culture' — the customs, arts, ideas, and way of life of a people or group.
It is a neutral, everyday word that maps closely onto English 'culture' in most contexts: 中国文化 (Chinese culture), 文化差异 (cultural differences), 公司文化 (company culture). Two things to know. First, 文化 also has a narrower secondary sense of 'literacy / book learning' — saying 他没有文化 means 'he's uneducated / illiterate,' not 'he has no culture.'
This usage is older and slightly judgmental. Second, 文化 in compounds often translates as the adjective 'cultural' in English (文化活动 = cultural activities). The word is built from 文 (writing, civilization) plus 化 (change, transform), literally 'transformation through writing/civilization.'
Character by character
Memory hook: 文 (writing) + 化 (transform) — culture is what 'transforms' a people through their writing and shared traditions.
Hear 文化 in real episodes
文化 appears in 1 Fluentide podcast episode at natural native speed. Each sentence plays at the easiest difficulty it exists in — switch it to hear the same moment at your level, with full pinyin and English throughout.
法国的文化部长说，这是了解早期巴黎最重要的发现之一。
France's culture minister said it's one of the most important finds for understanding early Paris.
A 2,000-Year-Old Wall Dug Up Under a Paris Hospital May Show Where Paris Began
Example sentences
我很喜欢中国文化。
Wǒ hěn xǐhuan Zhōngguó wénhuà.
I really like Chinese culture.
neutral
中国和美国的文化很不一样。
Zhōngguó hé Měiguó de wénhuà hěn bù yíyàng.
Chinese and American cultures are very different.
neutral
学语言也是在学文化。
Xué yǔyán yě shì zài xué wénhuà.
Learning a language is also learning a culture.
neutral
他们公司的文化很好。
Tāmen gōngsī de wénhuà hěn hǎo.
Their company culture is really good.
spoken
这本书介绍了中国的传统文化。
Zhè běn shū jièshào le Zhōngguó de chuántǒng wénhuà.
This book introduces traditional Chinese culture.
written
Common phrases with 文化
Synonyms
文明 means 'civilization' on a grander historical scale (古代文明 ancient civilizations) or 'civilized' as an adjective (文明社会 civilized society). 文化 is everyday 'culture' — habits, arts, daily life. Don't say 中国文明 for 'Chinese culture' — say 中国文化.
Don't confuse 文化 with
文字 means 'written characters / script' (the writing system itself), not 'culture.' 中国文字 = Chinese characters/script; 中国文化 = Chinese culture.
文学 specifically means 'literature' (novels, poetry, etc.). 文化 is broader — culture includes literature but also food, music, customs, values.
FAQ
Related words from the same episodes
Acquire it by listening
Meet 文化 again — in real Chinese, at your level.
You just saw 文化 in 1 episode. Fluentide keeps feeding you news episodes at your level, so this word — and thousands like it — resurface in real sentences until they stick. Full pinyin and translation every time. Free to start.