姜 meaning and stroke order
Ginger
How to write 姜, stroke by stroke
9 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 姜
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- ginger
- variant of 薑|姜[jiang1]
How 姜 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. Simplified form of 薑; grass 艹 provides the meaning while 畺 provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 女 (woman), shared by 156 characters on this site.
How to remember 姜
姜 stacks 羊 (yáng, sheep) on top of 女 (nǚ, woman). Picture a woman cooking lamb and adding ginger to take away the strong smell.
姜 (jiāng) means ginger in cooking and is also a very common surname, as in 姜先生 (Mr. Jiang). It appears in words like 生姜 (shēngjiāng, fresh ginger) and 姜汁 (jiāngzhī, ginger juice). Example: 汤里放点儿姜。 (Tāng lǐ fàng diǎnr jiāng.) Put a little ginger in the soup.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 姜 with 美 (měi, beautiful), because both have the 羊 top. 美 has 大 at the bottom, while 姜 has 女.
Common words with 姜
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 姜汁 | jiāngzhī | ginger ale |
姜 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 姜
How many strokes are in 姜?
姜 is written with 9 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 姜 mean?
姜 (jiāng) means ginger. A common word with it is 姜汁 (jiāngzhī), meaning "ginger ale".
How do you pronounce 姜?
姜 is pronounced jiāng, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 姜?
The radical of 姜 is 女, which carries the idea of "woman". Dictionaries list 姜 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 姜?
The traditional form of 姜 is 薑. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 姜 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 姜 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 姜 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Why does the surname 姜 never use the traditional form 薑?
The surname was always written 姜, even before simplification. 薑 was only used for the plant ginger, so in traditional Chinese the surname stays 姜 while ginger is 薑.
What does the saying 姜还是老的辣 mean?
姜还是老的辣 (jiāng háishi lǎo de là) literally means old ginger is spicier. People use it to say that experienced older people are still sharper and more capable.