增 (zēng): to increase; to add

Meanings

1 to increase; to add
2 to grow; to gain

Characters

增

zeng

to increase; to add

Examples

人口在增加。

Rénkǒu zài zēngjiā.

The population is increasing.

增长速度很快。

Zēngzhǎng sùdù hěnkuài.

The growth rate is very fast.

这增强了我的信心。

Zhè zēngqiáng le wǒ de xìnxīn.

This strengthened my confidence.

Tips

usage

增 is used in: 增加 (to increase), 增长 (to grow), 增强 (to strengthen), 增多 (to multiply), 增进 (to promote/enhance). It contrasts with 减 (to decrease) in the pair 增减 (increase and decrease).

Components

radical

土 tǔ

earth; soil

Left earth radical anchors 增 in the building/accumulation family alongside 堆 pile, 培 cultivate, 堡 fort. The original image is heaping earth higher and higher — the concrete root of the abstract verb "to increase, add to."

phonetic

曾 céng

once; layered (here phonetic)

Right 曾 supplies the sound: céng → zēng. 曾 itself depicts a stacked steamer with rising vapors, giving the secondary semantic hint of "layered, piled up." Same phonetic appears in 赠 give, 憎 hate, 蹭 rub against, 层 layer — useful family to memorize together.