灰
huī/xu̯eɪ̯⁵⁵/
In Chinese, the word for ash is 灰 (huī).
The noun 灰 is used to refer to the solid remains of a fire.
Meaning: solid remains of a fire (noun)
Which one should you use?
While 灰 is the standard term for ash, the term 烬 refers specifically to the residual ash resulting from burning substances and is used in poetic or literary contexts. Additionally, while 灰 means ash, you can create the adjective for the color gray by adding the character 色 (color) to make 灰色.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The form хуэй is used in Dungan.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is huī.
Did you know?
- The Dungan language, spoken by people in Central Asia, uses the form хуэй for ash, written in the Cyrillic alphabet rather than Chinese characters.
- The character 灰 is a compound combining the symbols for 'hand' and 'fire'. It literally represents fire that has cooled enough to be touched with the hand.
- In the context of incense, the accumulation of 灰 in a burner is sometimes seen as a symbol of the passage of time or the accumulation of prayers.
Examples in context
- 火山灰阻礙航運。Volcanic ash disrupted air travel.This sentence shows how to use 灰 regarding volcanic ash.Tatoeba #1250637 by tsayng, translation #1103245 by supplementfacts
- 香灰Incense ashThis sentence uses 灰 to refer to incense ash.
- 煙灰Cigarette ashThis sentence uses 灰 to refer to cigarette ash.
- 炉子里的灰还没扫干净。The ash in the stove hasn't been cleaned up yet.
- 暖炉上的火灰需要清理。The ash on the fireplace needs to be cleaned up.
- 请不要随地扔烟灰。Please don't litter cigarette ash everywhere.
Example conversation
A couple is cleaning up after a small bonfire in the backyard.
- 俊杰 Junjie這裡全是灰。Zhèlǐ quán shì huī.There is ash everywhere here.
- 梓涵 Zihan我去拿掃帚。Wǒ qù ná sǎozhǒu.I will go get a broom.
- 俊杰 Junjie梓涵，要把灰掃乾淨。Zǐhán, yào bǎ huī sǎo gānjìng.Zihan, we need to sweep the ash clean.
- 梓涵 Zihan我知道了，俊杰。Wǒ zhīdào le, Jùnjié.I know, Junjie.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “ash” translations and entries 灰, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 灰, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR, Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
