冬 is the character for “winter”. It is made out of 5 strokes.
| Chinese Character | Simplified Version | Bopomofo | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 冬 | 冬 | ㄉㄨㄥ | dōng |


Definition
Winter
Historical Origins
The Chinese character 冬 has origins that reflect both its sound and meaning. It is both an ideogrammic compound and a phono-semantic compound, combining elements that convey its seasonal and linguistic significance.
The character is formed with 夂 (zhǐ, “end”) as the phonetic component, which represents the idea of something concluding, much like winter marks the final season of the year. The semantic component is either 日 (rì, “day”), symbolizing the passage of time, or 仌 (bīng, “ice”), directly linking the character to the cold and frosty conditions of winter.

Vocabulary with the Character 冬
| Chinese | Bopomofo | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 冬天 | ㄉㄨㄥ ㄊㄧㄢ | dōngtiān | Winter |
| 冬季 | ㄉㄨㄥ ㄐㄧˋ | dōngjì | Winter season |
| 冬眠 | ㄉㄨㄥ ㄇㄧㄢˊ | dōngmián | Hibernation |
| 冬瓜 | ㄉㄨㄥ ㄍㄨㄚ | dōngguā | Winter melon |

Join our Substack “Mandarin Zest“, where we regularly share intermediate to advanced Chinese learning content. Make sure to subscribe!