扩 kuò to expand
to expand; to stretch; to magnify; to enlarge
How to remember 扩: 扌 hand + 广 broad = to expand. With his own hands the farmer adds a room to the old barn, already broad, eager to expand it before the baby comes.
Component breakdown
扩 = 扌 hand + 广 broad
- 扌 hand
- 广 broad
With his own hands the farmer adds a room to the old barn, already broad, eager to expand it before the baby comes.
How it is used
- 扩 is bound, meaning to expand/enlarge, most often in 扩大 (kuòdà), the general-purpose verb for expanding scope or scale: 扩大范围 (kuòdà fànwéi) expand the scope.
- 扩展 (kuòzhǎn) is close in meaning but common in business/tech contexts, like expanding a market or a software feature.
- 扩散 (kuòsàn) means to spread/diffuse, used for things like rumors, smoke, or diseases spreading outward, which is a distinct nuance from simply "getting bigger".