堂 meaning and stroke order
(main) hall; large room for a specific purpose; relationship between cousins etc on the paternal side of a family
How to write 堂, 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 堂
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (main) hall
- large room for a specific purpose
- relationship between cousins etc on the paternal side of a family
- of the same clan
- classifier for classes, lectures etc
- classifier for sets of furniture
How 堂 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Earth.
土 gives the meaning and 尚 hints at the sound.
Radical: 土 (soil), shared by 183 characters on this site.
How to remember 堂
堂 is built from 尚 on top, which gives the sound, and 土 (tǔ, earth) below, which gives the meaning. Picture a grand hall standing on a solid earth foundation.
堂 appears in many words for big rooms with a purpose, such as 食堂 (shítáng) cafeteria, 课堂 (kètáng) classroom, and 教堂 (jiàotáng) church. It also marks paternal cousins and works as a classifier for class sessions. Example: 我们下午有两堂课。(Wǒmen xiàwǔ yǒu liǎng táng kè.) We have two classes this afternoon.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 堂 with 常 (cháng, often), which shares the same top but has 巾 at the bottom instead of 土. Also keep the second tone: 堂 is táng, not tāng like 汤 (soup).
Common words with 堂
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 课堂 | kètáng | classroom (CL:間|间[jian1]); class session | HSK 2 |
| 食堂 | shítáng | dining hall; cafeteria | HSK 4 |
| 教堂 | jiàotáng | church; chapel | HSK 6 |
| 天堂 | tiāntáng | paradise; heaven | HSK 6 |
| 礼堂 | lǐtáng | assembly hall; auditorium | HSK 6 |
| 殿堂 | diàntáng | palace; hall | HSK 7-9 |
| 学堂 | xuétáng | college; school (old) | HSK 7-9 |
| 哄堂大笑 | hōngtáng-dàxiào | the whole room roaring with laughter (idiom) | HSK 7-9 |
| 大堂 | dàtáng | lobby | |
| 名堂 | míngtang | item (in a program of entertainments); trick (act of mischief) | |
| 堂兄 | tángxiōng | older male patrilineal cousin | |
| 澡堂 | zǎotáng | public baths | |
| 堂堂正正 | tángtángzhèngzhèng | displaying strength and discipline; impressive | |
| 堂堂 | tángtáng | grand; magnificent |
堂 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 堂
Learning 堂 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 堂
How many strokes are in 堂?
堂 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 堂 mean?
堂 (táng) means (main) hall; large room for a specific purpose; relationship between cousins etc on the paternal side of a family. A common word with it is 课堂 (kètáng), meaning "classroom (CL:間|间[jian1]); class session".
How do you pronounce 堂?
堂 is pronounced táng, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 堂?
The radical of 堂 is 土, which carries the idea of "soil". Dictionaries list 堂 under this radical.
Is 堂 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 堂 is part of the HSK 2 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 2.
What is the difference between 堂 cousins and 表 cousins?
堂 cousins are children of your father's brothers and share your family name, as in 堂哥 (tánggē). 表 cousins, as in 表哥 (biǎogē), come through your mother's side or your father's sisters.
Can 堂 be used as a classifier for anything besides classes?
Yes. Besides lessons, as in 一堂课 (yì táng kè), it can count sets of furniture, though that use is less common in everyday speech.