檀香

tánxiāng

noun #36,585

Meanings

1 sandalwood
2 sandalwood incense

Characters

sandalwood tree

fragrant; incense

Examples

寺庙里弥漫着檀香的味道。

Sìmiào lǐ mímànzhe tánxiāng de wèidao.

The smell of sandalwood incense filled the temple.

她戴着一串檀香佛珠。

Tā dàizhe yí chuàn tánxiāng fózhū.

She is wearing a string of sandalwood prayer beads.

这种香水里加了檀香。

Zhè zhǒng xiāngshuǐ lǐ jiā le tánxiāng.

This perfume contains sandalwood.

Tips

culture

檀香 (Santalum album) has been central to Buddhist ritual for over a millennium — burned as incense in temples and carved into prayer beads (檀香佛珠 tánxiāng fózhū) and statues. Honolulu was historically called 檀香山 ('Sandalwood Mountain') in Chinese because of the 19th-century Hawaiian sandalwood trade with Canton.

In Pop Culture

檀香山 Tánxiāngshān

Honolulu

Old Chinese name for Honolulu, Hawaii — literally 'Sandalwood Mountain' from the 19th-century sandalwood trade

Stroke Order

檀 tán

香 xiāng