Chinese Grammar learning 语法: Noun/Adjective + 化

The suffix 化 (huà) can be added to the end of many Chinese words to make them into verbs, the equivalent of "-ize" or "-ify" in English.

Basic Structure

You can take some Chinese nouns and adjectives and add a 化 to the end of them to make "-ize" or "-ify" them. Basically, 化 takes the noun or adjective and makes it into a verb. One example of how we do that in English is to take the word "modern" and turn it into "modernize." Most of the time, the Chinese words that 化 is added to are two-character words.

Noun/Adjective + 化
Examples

The following is a short list of examples 化 words and sentences. Note that while the suffix 化 most often corresponds to "-ize" or "-ify" in English, these are not the only options in English. (Ah, you gotta love the endless variety of the English language!)
With a Noun

xiàndàihuà
现代化

modernize

zhōnɡɡuóhuà
中国化

sinicize, Chinese-ify

měiɡuóhuà
美国化

Americanize

KFC de zhōnɡɡuó béntǔhuà jīnɡyínɡ zuò dé fēichánɡ chénɡɡōnɡ.
KFC 的 中国 本土化 经营 做 得 非常 成功。

KFC's Chinese localization has been implemented very successfully.

Dènɡxiǎopínɡ tíchūle sìɡèxiàndàihuà：ɡōnɡyèxiàndàihuà、nónɡyèxiàndàihuà、ɡuófánɡxiàndàihuà、kēxuéjìshùxiàndàihuà。
邓小平 提出了 四 个 现代化：工业现代化、农业现代化、国防现代化、科学技术现代化。

Deng Xiaoping set forth the Four Modernizations: industrial modernization, agricultural modernization, national defense modernization, and scientific technology modernization.

Xiànzài wǒmen ɡōnɡsī deɡōnɡzuò liúchénɡ hé rénshì ɡuánlǐ yǐjīnɡ chūbù zhìdùhuà le.
现在 我们 公司 的工作 流程 和 人事 管理 已经 初步 制度化 了。

These days our company's workflows and HR management have already started to be systematized.

With an Adjective

měihuà
美化

beautification

lǜhuà
绿化

"greenify"

ruǎnhuà
软化

soften

Nǐ yīnɡɡāi rànɡ huánɡyóu ruǎnhuà, ránhòu ɡēn miànbāo yìqǐ chī.
你 应该 让 黄油 软化，然后 跟 面包 一起 吃。

You should allow the butter to soften, then eat it with bread.

Wǒmen bǎohù huánjìnɡ shì wèile měihuà wǒmen de chénɡshì.
我们 保护 环境 是 为了 美化 我们 的 城市。

We protect the environment in order to beautify our city.

Měinián wǒmen de lǜhuà miànjī dōu zài kuòdà.
每年 我们 的 绿化 面积 都 在 扩大。

Every year our green[ified] area is expanding.