听 meaning and stroke order
To listen to; to hear; to heed; to obey; a can (loanword from English "tin")
How to write 听, stroke by stroke
7 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
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- 4
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Meaning of 听
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to listen to; to hear
- to heed; to obey
- a can (loanword from English "tin")
- classifier for canned beverages
- to let be; to allow (Taiwan pr. [ting4])
- (literary) to administer; to deal with (Taiwan pr. [ting4])
- smile (archaic)
How 听 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. Words 口 reaching an ear 斤.
Radical: 口 (mouth), shared by 428 characters on this site.
How to remember 听
On the left is a mouth 口 (kǒu) speaking words. On the right, 斤 stands for an ear catching them, so 听 (tīng) pictures words traveling from a mouth to an ear: to listen.
听 is a basic verb for listening to something, like music, a person, or a class. It often pairs with result words such as 听到 (tīngdào) or 听见 (tīngjiàn) to mean actually hearing. Example: 我喜欢听音乐。(Wǒ xǐhuan tīng yīnyuè.) I like listening to music.
Common mistake: Learners often use 听 when they mean "heard" as a result. 我听了 means "I listened," while 我听到了 or 我听见了 means "I heard it." Also keep the tone high and flat, tīng, not tíng like 停 (tíng, to stop).
Common words with 听
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 听到 | tīngdào | to hear | HSK 1 |
| 听见 | tīngjiàn | to hear | HSK 1 |
| 好听 | hǎotīng | pleasant to hear | HSK 1 |
| 听写 | tīngxiě | (of a pupil) to write down (in a dictation exercise); dictation; (music) to transcribe by | HSK 1 |
| 听说 | tīngshuō | to hear (sth said); one hears (that) | HSK 2 |
| 难听 | nántīng | unpleasant to hear; coarse | HSK 2 |
| 听讲 | tīngjiǎng | to attend a lecture; to listen to a talk | HSK 2 |
| 打听 | dǎting | to ask about; to make some inquiries | HSK 3 |
| 听众 | tīngzhòng | audience; listeners | HSK 3 |
| 收听 | shōutīng | to listen to (a radio broadcast) | HSK 3 |
| 听力 | tīnglì | hearing; listening ability | HSK 3 |
| 听取 | tīngqǔ | to hear (news); to listen to | HSK 6 |
| 听话 | tīnghuà | to do what one is told; obedient | HSK 7-9 |
| 听从 | tīngcóng | to listen and obey; to comply with | HSK 7-9 |
听 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 听
How many strokes are in 听?
听 is written with 7 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 听 mean?
听 (tīng) means to listen to; to hear; to heed; to obey; a can (loanword from English "tin"). A common word with it is 听到 (tīngdào), meaning "to hear".
How do you pronounce 听?
听 is pronounced tīng, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 听?
The radical of 听 is 口, which carries the idea of "mouth". Dictionaries list 听 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 听?
The traditional form of 听 is 聽. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 听 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 听 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 听 is part of the HSK 1 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 1.
What does 听说 mean and how is it used?
听说 (tīngshuō) means "I heard that" or "people say." It often starts a sentence to pass on news, as in 听说他结婚了 (Tīngshuō tā jiéhūn le), I heard he got married.
Can 听 be used for cans of drinks?
Yes. 听 is a loanword from English "tin" and works as a classifier for canned drinks, as in 一听可乐 (yì tīng kělè), a can of cola. In everyday speech many people also say 一罐 (yí guàn).