强 meaning and stroke order
Strong; powerful; better
How to write 强, stroke by stroke
12 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
- 11
- 12
Meaning of 强
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- strong
- powerful
- better
- slightly more than
- vigorous
- violent
- stubborn
- unyielding
- variant of 強|强[jiang4]
- to force
- to compel
- to strive
- to make an effort
- variant of 強|强[qiang3]
How 强 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Bow.
弓 gives the meaning and 虫 hints at the sound.
Radical: 弓 (bow), shared by 29 characters on this site.
How to remember 强
强 is built from 弓 (gōng, bow) on the left and 虽 on the right, which contains 虫. Picture a bow so tough that only a strong person can draw it, and the 虫 part gives a hint toward the sound.
Most often read qiáng, meaning strong or powerful, and it appears in many words like 强大 (qiángdà) and 加强 (jiāqiáng). In speech, 比……强 means better than. Example: 他的中文比我强。(Tā de Zhōngwén bǐ wǒ qiáng.) His Chinese is better than mine.
Common mistake: Learners often read 强迫 as qiángpò, but in the sense of forcing someone it is third tone: qiǎngpò. Also, do not write the right side as 虫 alone; it is 虽, with 口 on top of 虫.
Common words with 强
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 强大 | qiángdà | big and strong; formidable; powerful | HSK 3 |
| 坚强 | jiānqiáng | staunch; strong | HSK 3 |
| 强烈 | qiángliè | strong; intense | HSK 3 |
| 加强 | jiāqiáng | to reinforce; to strengthen; to enhance | HSK 3 |
| 强调 | qiángdiào | to emphasize (a statement); to stress | HSK 3 |
| 强迫 | qiǎngpò | to compel; to force | HSK 5 |
| 增强 | zēngqiáng | to increase; to strengthen | HSK 5 |
| 强度 | qiángdù | strength; intensity | HSK 5 |
| 强壮 | qiángzhuàng | strong; sturdy | HSK 6 |
| 强盗 | qiángdào | to rob (with force); bandit | HSK 6 |
| 强化 | qiánghuà | to strengthen; to intensify | HSK 6 |
| 顽强 | wánqiáng | tenacious; hard to defeat | HSK 6 |
| 强势 | qiángshì | strong; powerful | HSK 6 |
| 勉强 | miǎnqiǎng | to do with difficulty; to force sb to do sth | HSK 7-9 |
强 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 强
How many strokes are in 强?
强 is written with 12 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 强 mean?
强 (qiáng) means strong; powerful; better. A common word with it is 强大 (qiángdà), meaning "big and strong; formidable; powerful".
How do you pronounce 强?
强 is pronounced qiáng, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 强?
The radical of 强 is 弓, which carries the idea of "bow". Dictionaries list 强 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 强?
The traditional form of 强 is 強 and 彊. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 强 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 强 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 强 is part of the HSK 3 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
When is 强 pronounced jiàng?
It is read jiàng when it means stubborn or unyielding, as in 倔强 (juéjiàng, stubborn). This reading is much less common than qiáng.
What does 强 mean after a number, like 三分之一强?
Here it means slightly more than. 三分之一强 means a little over one third, while 弱 (ruò) after a number means slightly less.