Today, we're zoning in on a simple way to grow your Chinese vocabulary faster.
We’re gonna focus on how a simple "suffix" can be used to form new words in a way that’s easy to remember.
We'll dive into the usage of the suffix 化 huà, and give you plenty of words and sentence examples to help you see how it works!
Video Transcript for "Chinese Vocabulary Hack: 1 suffix, 100+ Chinese Words!"
Today I want to share a hack to help you learn many Chinese words… fast.
Let's get started! 
So, what’s the hack?
We’re gonna focus on how a simple suffix can be used to form “new words” in a way that’s easy to remember.
Suffix: A syllable added to the end of a word to form a new word
And the suffix we’re going to use today is… 化 (huà).
化 (huà) is used to indicate a change or transformation. It's similar to the English suffixes '-ize' or '-ify'. For example, modernize, simplify.
The word 简 (jiǎn) means "simple", and when we add the suffix 化 (huà), it becomes 简化 (jiǎnhuà), which means "to simplify".
Another example is 现代 (xiàndài) which means "modern". Adding the suffix 化 (huà) transforms it into 现代化 (xiàndàihuà), meaning "to modernize".
Here's how you can use these words in a sentence:
我们需要简化这个过程。(Wǒmen xūyào jiǎnhuà zhège guòchéng.) - We need to simplify this process.
这个城市正在现代化。(Zhège chéngshì zhèngzài xiàndàihuà.) - This city is modernizing.
So when we add 化 (huà), the word becomes a verb.
简 (jiǎn) - 简化 (jiǎnhuà) simple - simplify
现代 (xiàndài) - 现代化 (xiàndàihuà) modern - modernize
Let’s try this with more words
The word 复杂 (fùzá) means “complex”. When we add the suffix 化 (huà), it becomes 复杂化 (fùzáhuà), which means “to complicate” or “to make complex”.
So, you can say:
"这个问题不需要复杂化" (Zhège wèntí bù xūyào fùzáhuà),
"This problem doesn't need to be complicated".
优 (yōu) means "excellent". When we add 化 (huà), it becomes 优化 (yōuhuà), which means "to optimize".
For example:
"我们需要优化这个流程" (Wǒmen xūyào yōuhuà zhège liúchéng),
"We need to optimize this process".
恶 (è) means "bad". When we add 化 (huà), it becomes 恶化 (èhuà), which means "to get worse".
"这个环境正在恶化" (Zhège huánjìng zhèngzài èhuà),
"This environment is getting worse".
美 (měi) means "beautiful". When we add 化 (huà), it becomes 美化 (měihuà), which means "to beautify" or "to make beautiful".
美化 (měihuà) is often used in the context of improving the appearance of something to make it more appealing.
So you could say:
"我们需要美化这个公园" (Wǒmen xūyào měihuà zhège gōngyuán),
"We need to beautify this park".
丑 (chǒu) means "ugly". When we add 化 (huà), it becomes 丑化 (chǒuhuà), which means "to uglify" or "to make ugly".
丑化 (chǒuhuà) is often used in the context of making something look worse or less appealing than it actually is.
For example, you might say
"这篇报道丑化了我们的公司" (Zhè piān bàodào chǒuhuà le wǒmen de gōngsī),
"This article has made our company look worse than it actually is".
强 (qiáng) means "strong". When we add 化 (huà), it becomes 强化 (qiánghuà), which means "to strengthen".
For example, you might say
"我们需要强化我们的训练计划" (Wǒmen xūyào qiánghuà wǒmen de xùnliàn jìhuà),
"We need to strengthen our training plan".
弱 (ruò) means "weak" . When we add 化 (huà), it becomes 弱化 (ruòhuà), which means "to weaken" or "to make weaker".
"我们需要弱化这个政策的影响" (Wǒmen xūyào ruòhuà zhège zhèngcè de yǐngxiǎng), “We need to weaken the impact of this policy".
深 (shēn) means "deep"or "profound". When we add 化 (huà), it becomes 深化 (shēnhuà), which means "to deepen" or "to make deeper".
"我们需要深化我们的理解" (Wǒmen xūyào shēnhuà wǒmen de lǐjiě), "We need to deepen our understanding".
浅 (qiǎn) means "shallow" or "superficial". When we add 化 (huà) , it becomes 浅化 (qiǎnhuà), which means "to make shallow" or "to become more superficial".
"我们需要避免浅化我们的思考" (Wǒmen xūyào bìmiǎn qiǎnhuà wǒmen de sīkǎo),
"We need to avoid making our thinking more superficial".
The word 净 (jìng) means "clean" or "pure". When we add 化 (huà), it becomes 净化 (jìnghuà), which means "to purify" or "to make clean".
"我们需要净化这个水源" (Wǒmen xūyào jìnghuà zhège shuǐyuán),
"We need to purify this water source".
毒 (dú) means "poison" or "toxic". When we add 化 (huà), it becomes 毒化 (dúhuà), which means "to poison" or "to become toxic".
"这个化学品会毒化土壤" (Zhège huàxuépǐn huì dúhuà tǔrǎng),
"This chemical will poison the soil".
At the beginning of the lesson we learnt that 现代化 (xiàndàihuà), means "to modernize" or "to become modern".
"我们需要现代化我们的工厂" (Wǒmen xūyào xiàndàihuà wǒmen de gōngchǎng),
"We need to modernize our factory".
Now the opposite of 现代化 (xiàndàihuà) is 传统化 (chuántǒnghuà)
传统 (chuántǒng) means "tradition" or "custom". When we add 化(huà) , it becomes 传统化 (chuántǒnghuà), which means "to traditionalize" or "to become traditional".
For example, you might say
"我们需要传统化我们的教育体系" (Wǒmen xūyào chuántǒnghuà wǒmen de jiàoyù tǐxì),
"We need to traditionalize our education system".
In this context, 传统化 (chuántǒnghuà) is used to describe the act of promoting traditional cultural practices or beliefs.
国际 (guójì) means "international". When we add 化 (huà), it becomes 国际化 (guójìhuà), which means "to internationalize" or "to become international".
"我们需要国际化我们的业务" (Wǒmen xūyào guójìhuà wǒmen de yèwù), "We need to internationalize our business".
In this context, 国际化 (guójìhuà) is used to describe the act of expanding a business or organization to operate on an international level.
本土 (běntǔ) means "local" or "native". When we add 化(huà) , it becomes 本土化 (běntǔhuà), which means "to localize" or "to become localized".
"我们需要本土化我们的产品" (Wǒmen xūyào běntǔhuà wǒmen de chǎnpǐn),
"We need to localize our products".
In this context, 本土化 (běntǔhuà) is used to describe the act of adapting a product to fit the local culture or market.
The word 多元 (duōyuán) means "diverse". When we add 化 (huà) , it becomes 多元化 (duōyuánhuà), which means "to diversify" or "to become diversified".
"我们需要多元化我们的产品线" (Wǒmen xūyào duōyuánhuà wǒmen de chǎnpǐn xiàn), "We need to diversify our product line".
单一 (dānyī) means "single" or "sole". When we add 化 (huà) , it becomes 单一化 (dānyīhuà), which means "to homogenize" or "to become homogenized".
For example, you might say
"我们需要避免单一化我们的产品" (Wǒmen xūyào bìmiǎn dānyīhuà wǒmen de chǎnpǐn),
"We need to avoid homogenizing our products".
In this context, 单一化 (dānyīhuà) is used to describe the act of making products more uniform or standardized.
个性 (gèxìng) means "personality" And when we add 化 (huà) we get 个性化 (gèxìnghuà), which means "to personalize" or "to become personalized".
"我们需要个性化我们的服务" (Wǒmen xūyào gèxìnghuà wǒmen de fúwù),
"We need to personalize our services".
大众 (dàzhòng) means "the masses" or "the general public". When we add 化 (huà) 大众 (dàzhòng), it becomes 大众化 (dàzhònghuà), which means "to popularize" or "to become popularized".
"我们需要大众化我们的产品" (Wǒmen xūyào dàzhònghuà wǒmen de chǎnpǐn), "We need to popularize our products".
In this context, 大众化 (dàzhònghuà) is used to describe the act of making products more accessible to the general public.
And that's it for today's lesson. I hope you found it useful to see how one simple suffix (化) can help you learn lots of new words.
好了，我是Angel. See you in the next lesson! 
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