償 meaning and stroke order
To repay, to recompense; restitution
How to write 償, stroke by stroke
17 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 償
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to repay
- to compensate for
- to recompense
- to fulfill (hopes etc)
How 償 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Person.
亻 gives the meaning and 賞 hints at the sound.
Radical: 亻 (man), shared by 277 characters on this site.
How to remember 償
償 is a person 亻 next to 賞 (shǎng, to reward). Picture a person handing back a reward to someone they owe, which is repaying a debt. 賞 also hints at the sound.
償 (cháng) is the traditional form. Mainland China writes it 偿, which is the form in the common words listed. It rarely stands alone and usually appears in compounds about paying back or compensating, such as 赔偿 (péicháng) and 偿还 (chánghuán). Example: 他终于如愿以偿。(Tā zhōngyú rúyuànyǐcháng.) He finally got his wish.
Common mistake: Learners often read 償 as shǎng because of its phonetic part 賞, but 償 is cháng with a rising second tone. Do not confuse it with 賞 (shǎng, to reward) or 嘗 (cháng, to taste), which share the same top part.
Common words with 償
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 補償 | bǔcháng | to compensate; to make up | HSK 5 |
| 賠償 | péicháng | to compensate | HSK 5 |
| 償還 | chánghuán | to repay; to reimburse | HSK 7-9 |
| 如願以償 | rúyuànyǐcháng | to have one's wish fulfilled | HSK 7-9 |
| 無償 | wúcháng | free; no charge; at no cost | HSK 7-9 |
| 得不償失 | débùchángshī | the gains do not make up for the losses (idiom) | HSK 7-9 |
| 賠償金 | péichángjīn | compensation | |
| 償命 | chángmìng | to pay with one's life |
Questions about 償
How many strokes are in 償?
償 is written with 17 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 償 mean?
償 (cháng) means to repay, to recompense; restitution. A common word with it is 补偿 (bǔcháng), meaning "to compensate; to make up".
How do you pronounce 償?
償 is pronounced cháng, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 償?
The radical of 償 is 亻, which carries the idea of "man". Dictionaries list 償 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 償?
償 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 偿, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the difference between 补偿 and 赔偿?
赔偿 (péicháng) usually means paying for damage or loss you caused, often in legal or insurance contexts. 补偿 (bǔcháng) is broader and means making up for something, even when no one is at fault.
Does 无偿 mean the same as 免费?
Both mean free of charge, but 无偿 (wúcháng) is more formal and stresses giving without expecting repayment, as in volunteer work or donations. 免费 (miǎnfèi) is the everyday word for free goods or services.