唱 meaning and stroke order
To sing; to call loudly; to chant
How to write 唱, stroke by stroke
11 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 唱
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to sing
- to call loudly
- to chant
How 唱 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Mouth.
口 gives the meaning and 昌 hints at the sound.
Radical: 口 (mouth), shared by 428 characters on this site.
How to remember 唱
唱 is a mouth 口 on the left next to 昌 (chāng) on the right. The mouth tells you it is something you do with your voice, and 昌 gives the sound, so think of a mouth making chāng-chàng sounds as it sings.
唱 is almost always used with an object, most often 歌 (gē) to form 唱歌 (chànggē), to sing. It also appears in performance words like 演唱会 (yǎnchànghuì), a concert, and 合唱 (héchàng), a chorus. Example: 她很喜欢唱歌。(Tā hěn xǐhuan chànggē.) She really likes singing.
Common mistake: Learners often say 唱 alone, as in 我喜欢唱, where Chinese usually needs 唱歌 to mean singing in general. Also keep the fourth tone chàng, and do not confuse it with the phonetic part 昌 (chāng), which has no mouth radical and is first tone.
Common words with 唱
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 唱歌 | chànggē | to sing a song | HSK 1 |
| 演唱 | yǎnchàng | to sing (for an audience); vocal performance | HSK 3 |
| 演唱会 | yǎnchànghuì | vocal recital or concert | HSK 3 |
| 唱片 | chàngpiàn | gramophone record; LP | HSK 4 |
| 歌唱 | gēchàng | to sing | HSK 6 |
| 合唱 | héchàng | chorus; to chorus | HSK 7-9 |
| 独唱 | dúchàng | (in singing) solo; to solo | HSK 7-9 |
| 合唱团 | héchàngtuán | chorus; choir | |
| 说唱 | shuōchàng | speaking and singing, as in various forms of storytelling such as 彈詞|弹词[tan2 ci2] and 相聲|相 | |
| 主唱 | zhǔchàng | to sing the lead vocals; lead singer | |
| 唱诗班 | chàngshībān | choir | |
| 伴唱 | bànchàng | to sing backup; backup singer | |
| 二重唱 | èrchóngchàng | duet | |
| 吟唱 | yínchàng | to chant; to recite |
唱 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 唱
How many strokes are in 唱?
唱 is written with 11 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 唱 mean?
唱 (chàng) means to sing; to call loudly; to chant. A common word with it is 唱歌 (chànggē), meaning "to sing a song".
How do you pronounce 唱?
唱 is pronounced chàng, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 唱?
The radical of 唱 is 口, which carries the idea of "mouth". Dictionaries list 唱 under this radical.
Is 唱 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 唱 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 is the difference between 唱 and 唱歌?
唱 is the verb to sing and needs something to sing, such as 唱一首歌 (sing a song) or 唱中文歌 (sing Chinese songs). 唱歌 is a verb plus object phrase meaning to sing in general, so you can use it on its own.
How do you say karaoke or going to sing with friends?
People often say 去唱歌 (qù chànggē), go singing, which usually means going to a karaoke place. You may also hear 唱K (chàng K), a casual way to say singing karaoke.