嚮 meaning and stroke order
To direct, to guide; to favor, to incline towards
How to write 嚮, 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 嚮
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to tend toward
- to guide
- variant of 向[xiang4]
How 嚮 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. Towards 向 the country 鄉; 鄉 also provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 口 (mouth), shared by 428 characters on this site.
How to remember 嚮
嚮 stacks the village 鄉 (xiāng) on top of 向 (xiàng, toward). Picture a guide turning to face toward the home village, and 鄉 also hints at the sound.
嚮 is a traditional character used for the senses of 向 (xiàng) meaning to tend toward, to guide, or to yearn for. In simplified Chinese these words are all written with 向, as in 嚮導 / 向导 (xiàngdǎo) guide. Example: 我很嚮往大海。(Wǒ hěn xiàngwǎng dàhǎi.) I really long for the sea.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes read the top part 鄉 and say xiāng with a first tone, but 嚮 is fourth tone xiàng. Also do not confuse it with 響 (xiǎng, sound), which has 音 under 鄉 instead of 向.
Common words with 嚮
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
Questions about 嚮
How many strokes are in 嚮?
嚮 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 嚮 mean?
嚮 (xiàng) means to direct, to guide; to favor, to incline towards. A common word with it is 向导 (xiàngdǎo), meaning "guide".
How do you pronounce 嚮?
嚮 is pronounced xiàng, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 嚮?
The radical of 嚮 is 口, which carries the idea of "mouth". Dictionaries list 嚮 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 嚮?
嚮 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 向, used in mainland China and Singapore.
Should I write 嚮 or 向 in modern Chinese?
In mainland simplified Chinese, always write 向. 嚮 appears mainly in traditional texts, such as in Taiwan or Hong Kong, for words like 嚮導 and 嚮往.
Does every 向 in traditional Chinese become 嚮?
No. Many traditional words keep 向, such as 方向 (fāngxiàng) direction. 嚮 is mostly used in words about guiding or longing, like 嚮導 and 嚮往, and usage varies between writers.