宮 meaning and stroke order
Palace; surname
How to write 宮, stroke by stroke
10 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
Meaning of 宮
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- palace
- temple
- castration (as corporal punishment)
- first note in pentatonic scale
How 宮 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Roof.
宀 gives the meaning and 呂 hints at the sound.
Radical: 宀 (roof), shared by 67 characters on this site.
How to remember 宮
宮 has a roof 宀 on top and 呂 below, which looks like two rooms stacked under one roof. A building with many rooms under a grand roof is a palace. The data lists 呂 as the sound part and 宀 (roof) as the meaning part.
宮 (gōng) means palace and also appears in words for enclosed spaces, like 迷宮 (mígōng) maze and 子宮 (zǐgōng) womb. It is also a surname. Example: 我們去參觀皇宮。(Wǒmen qù cānguān huánggōng.) We are going to visit the imperial palace.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes write the bottom as 吕 with two boxes joined directly, or forget the small stroke connecting the two boxes in 呂. Also do not confuse 宮 (gōng) with 官 (guān, official), which has a similar roof but a different bottom part.
Common words with 宮
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 宮殿 | gōngdiàn | palace | HSK 7-9 |
| 皇宮 | huánggōng | imperial palace | HSK 7-9 |
| 宮廷 | gōngtíng | court (of king or emperor) | HSK 7-9 |
| 迷宮 | mígōng | maze; labyrinth | |
| 子宮 | zǐgōng | uterus; womb | |
| 王宮 | wánggōng | imperial palace | |
| 十二宮 | shí'èrgōng | the twelve equatorial constellations or signs of the zodiac in Western astronomy and astro | |
| 進宮 | jìngōng | to enter the emperor's palace; (slang) to go to jail | |
| 後宮 | hòugōng | harem; chambers of imperial concubines | |
| 宮女 | gōngnǚ | palace maid |
Questions about 宮
How many strokes are in 宮?
宮 is written with 10 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 宮 mean?
宮 (gōng) means palace; surname. A common word with it is 宫殿 (gōngdiàn), meaning "palace".
How do you pronounce 宮?
宮 is pronounced gōng, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 宮?
The radical of 宮 is 宀, which carries the idea of "roof". Dictionaries list 宮 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 宮?
宮 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 宫, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the difference between 宮 and 殿?
宮 refers to a palace or palace complex as a whole. 殿 (diàn) usually means a single large hall within it. Together they form 宮殿 (gōngdiàn), palace.
Why does 宮 appear in temple names?
One sense of 宮 is temple, especially Daoist temples. Many Daoist sites are named with 宮, for example a temple called something 宮 rather than 寺 (sì), which is used more for Buddhist temples.