娼 meaning and stroke order
Prostitute, harlot
How to write 娼, 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 娼
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- prostitute
How 娼 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Woman.
女 gives the meaning and 昌 hints at the sound.
Radical: 女 (woman), shared by 156 characters on this site.
How to remember 娼
娼 combines 女 (nǚ, woman) on the left for meaning with 昌 (chāng) on the right for sound. Think of 昌, two suns stacked, as giving the whole character its pronunciation chāng.
娼 rarely stands alone in modern Chinese and mostly appears in compounds like 娼妓 (chāngjì) and 娼妇 (chāngfù). These words sound formal, literary, or historical, and 娼妇 is also used as an insult. Example: 古代有很多娼妓。(Gǔdài yǒu hěn duō chāngjì.) There were many prostitutes in ancient times.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes confuse 娼 (chāng) with 倡 (chàng, to advocate) or 唱 (chàng, to sing), which share the 昌 part. Check the left side and the tone: 娼 has 女 and is first tone.
Common words with 娼
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 娼妓 | chāngjì | prostitute | |
| 娼妇 | chāngfù | prostitute |
娼 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 娼
How many strokes are in 娼?
娼 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 娼 mean?
娼 (chāng) means prostitute, harlot. A common word with it is 娼妓 (chāngjì), meaning "prostitute".
How do you pronounce 娼?
娼 is pronounced chāng, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 娼?
The radical of 娼 is 女, which carries the idea of "woman". Dictionaries list 娼 under this radical.
Is 娼 an offensive word to use?
It is not a neutral everyday word. 娼妓 is used in historical, legal, or academic writing, while 娼妇 is often a harsh insult. In modern neutral speech people tend to say 性工作者 (xìng gōngzuòzhě), sex worker.
What is the difference between 娼 and 妓?
Both relate to prostitution, and together they form 娼妓 (chāngjì). 妓 (jì) also appears in words like 妓女 (jìnǚ) and historically could refer to female entertainers, while 娼 focuses more directly on prostitution.