姓 meaning and stroke order
Family name; surname; to be surnamed ...
How to write 姓, stroke by stroke
8 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 姓
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- family name; surname
- to be surnamed ...
How 姓 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Woman.
女 gives the meaning and 生 hints at the sound.
Radical: 女 (woman), shared by 156 characters on this site.
How to remember 姓
姓 combines 女 (woman) with 生 (shēng, to give birth), which also hints at the sound xìng. Picture a woman giving birth: the child she bears carries the family name.
姓 is both a noun (surname) and a verb meaning "to be surnamed." As a verb it directly takes the surname, with no 是 needed. Example: 我姓王。(Wǒ xìng Wáng.) My surname is Wang.
Common mistake: Learners often say 我是姓王 or 我的姓是王 in conversation. The natural form is simply 我姓王 (wǒ xìng Wáng). Also do not confuse 姓 (xìng) with 性 (xìng, nature, sex), which has the heart radical 忄 instead of 女.
Common words with 姓
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
姓 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 姓
How many strokes are in 姓?
姓 is written with 8 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 姓 mean?
姓 (xìng) means family name; surname; to be surnamed .... A common word with it is 姓名 (xìngmíng), meaning "surname and given name; full name".
How do you pronounce 姓?
姓 is pronounced xìng, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 姓?
The radical of 姓 is 女, which carries the idea of "woman". Dictionaries list 姓 under this radical.
Is 姓 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 姓 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.
How do I politely ask someone's surname in Chinese?
Say 您贵姓？(Nín guìxìng?), which means "May I ask your surname?" The answer should be 我姓李 (wǒ xìng Lǐ), not 我贵姓李, since 贵 is only used for the other person.
What is the difference between 姓 and 名字?
姓 (xìng) is the family name, while 名字 (míngzi) usually means the given name or the full name. To ask someone's full name you can say 你叫什么名字？(Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?), and on forms you will see 姓名 (xìngmíng) for full name.