曾 meaning and stroke order
Once; already; ever (in the past)
How to write 曾, 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.
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Meaning of 曾
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- once
- already
- ever (in the past)
- former
- previously
- (past tense marker used before verb or clause)
- great- (grandfather, grandchild etc)
How 曾 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A rice cooker on heat 日, building up steam 丷 and letting it off.
Radical: 曰 (to speak), shared by 14 characters on this site.
How to remember 曾
Picture a rice cooker sitting on heat 日, with steam 丷 puffing out the top. Once the steam has escaped, the cooking has already happened, so 曾 (céng) marks something that took place in the past.
曾 (céng) appears before a verb to say something happened at some point in the past, most often in the word 曾经 (céngjīng). It sounds a little more formal than using 过 (guo) alone, and the two often appear together. Example: 我曾经去过北京。(Wǒ céngjīng qù guo Běijīng.) I have been to Beijing before.
Common mistake: Learners forget that 曾 has a second reading, zēng, used for family generations, as in 曾祖父 (zēngzǔfù) great-grandfather. Do not say céngzǔfù. Also do not confuse 曾 with 增 (zēng, to increase), which adds the earth radical 土 on the left.
Common words with 曾
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 曾经 | céngjīng | once; already | HSK 3 |
| 不曾 | bùcéng | hasn't yet; hasn't ever | HSK 5 |
| 似曾相识 | sìcéng-xiāngshí | déjà vu (the experience of seeing exactly the same situation a second time); seemingly fam | HSK 7-9 |
| 未曾 | wèicéng | hasn't (or haven't); hasn't ever | |
| 曾祖父 | zēngzǔfù | father's father's father; paternal great-grandfather | |
| 曾几何时 | céngjǐhéshí | just a while before; not so long ago | |
| 曾祖母 | zēngzǔmǔ | father's father's mother; paternal great-grandmother |
曾 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 曾
Learning 曾 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 曾
How many strokes are in 曾?
曾 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 曾 mean?
曾 (céng) means once; already; ever (in the past). A common word with it is 曾经 (céngjīng), meaning "once; already".
How do you pronounce 曾?
曾 is pronounced céng, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 曾?
The radical of 曾 is 曰, which carries the idea of "to speak". Dictionaries list 曾 under this radical.
Is 曾 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 曾 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.
How do I say I have never done something with 曾?
Use 不曾 (bùcéng) or 未曾 (wèicéng) before the verb, as in 我未曾见过他 (wǒ wèicéng jiàn guo tā), I have never met him. In everyday speech, 没 (méi) plus verb plus 过 (guo) is more common. 曾经 is not normally negated with 没.
Is 曾 also a surname?
Yes. 曾 is a common Chinese surname, and as a surname it is read zēng, not céng. A well-known example is 曾国藩 (Zēng Guófān), a Qing dynasty official.