明天
明next in this word天day=tomorrow
明天 is a fixed time word.
明
明 (míng) Chinese Character: bright, clear
Sun 日 plus moon 月 makes everything bright and clear.
Practice 明 in the interactive lessonChinese character story: Sun and Moon Shine Together
Put 日, “sun,” beside 月, “moon,” and you get 明 (míng): “bright” or “clear.” It is a perfect visual equation for beginners — two sources of light make the meaning shine. The same character appears in 明天, “tomorrow,” and 明白, “to understand clearly.”
🧩 Word buildingSee what every part contributes
Chinese words often combine short meaning clues. Fixed expressions are clearly marked so you do not translate them too literally.
明白
明clear白clear or plain=understand or clear
The two clarity ideas reinforce one fixed word.
Chinese character origin and etymology
明 is documented as a character built from meaningful or phonetic parts. Its earlier written forms gradually became the regular-script shape used today.
In modern simplified Chinese, 明 is written with 8 strokes. This lesson separates documented shape history from the memory story so learners do not mistake a mnemonic for a historical claim. 明 contains 日 and 月. These parts act like clues: a component may suggest a meaning category, a pronunciation, or simply preserve part of the character's historical structure.
Chinese character stroke order and structure
明 is written with 8 strokes. Learn the complete stroke sequence in the interactive lesson, then write the character from memory before checking your answer.
- 日 — sun
- 月 — moon
Common usage and sentence patterns
The examples below show 明 in complete beginner-friendly sentences. Read each sentence aloud, notice where the character appears, and then replace one noun or number to create a new sentence of your own.
明天见。
See you tomorrow.
请说明白一点。
Please explain it more clearly.
房间里很明亮。
The room is very bright.
Learning tips for 明
Learn the reading as one unit: míng, with the second tone: rising. Avoid memorizing the letters without the tone mark. Say the syllable, recall the English meaning “bright, clear,” and write the 8 strokes from memory.
Because 明 contains reusable components, identify those clues before memorizing the whole shape. Compare it with 日 (rì, sun — the left component); 月 (yuè, moon — the right component); 盟 (méng, alliance — 明 over dish (皿)). Similar characters are easier to remember when their different parts and meanings are studied side by side.
Quick review checklist
- Can you recognize 明 without pinyin?
- Can you say míng with the correct tone and explain “bright, clear”?
- Can you write all 8 strokes in order?
- Can you use 明 in one short sentence?
Related characters
Continue learning Chinese characters
Use the Chinese radicals and components guide to understand reusable parts, the stroke order guide to improve handwriting, and the HSK 1 character overview to choose your next beginner lesson.
Sources and editorial note
HanziStory separates documented character history from modern memory stories. Historical-form images are shown only when a matching source file is available; missing stages are skipped rather than invented. Stroke practice uses HanziWriter data.
Last updated: August 12, 2026. Read our sources, editorial method, and correction policy.