桨 meaning and stroke order
Paddle, oar
How to write 桨, 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
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- 10
Meaning of 桨
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- oar; paddle
How 桨 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Wood.
木 gives the meaning and 丬 hints at the sound.
Radical: 木 (tree), shared by 388 characters on this site.
How to remember 桨
桨 is a pictophonetic character: 木 (mù, wood) at the bottom gives the meaning, since oars were carved from wood. The top part 丬 hints at the sound jiǎng, so picture a wooden pole with a blade on top pushing through the water.
桨 usually appears in compounds rather than alone. 船桨 (chuánjiǎng) is a boat oar, 划桨 (huájiǎng) means to paddle, and 螺旋桨 (luóxuánjiǎng) is the propeller on a ship or plane. Example: 他用力划桨。(Tā yònglì huá jiǎng.) He paddled hard.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 桨 with 浆 (jiāng, thick liquid, as in 豆浆 dòujiāng soy milk), which has 水 at the bottom and a first tone. Remember that wood 木 makes an oar, and water 水 makes a liquid.
Common words with 桨
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 船桨 | chuánjiǎng | oar | HSK 7-9 |
| 螺旋桨 | luóxuánjiǎng | propeller | |
| 划桨 | huájiǎng | to paddle |
桨 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 桨
How many strokes are in 桨?
桨 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 桨 mean?
桨 (jiǎng) means paddle, oar. A common word with it is 船桨 (chuánjiǎng), meaning "oar".
How do you pronounce 桨?
桨 is pronounced jiǎng, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 桨?
The radical of 桨 is 木, which carries the idea of "tree". Dictionaries list 桨 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 桨?
The traditional form of 桨 is 槳. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 桨 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 桨 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 桨 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What measure word is used with 桨?
The common measure word is 支 (zhī), as in 一支桨 (yì zhī jiǎng), one oar. 把 (bǎ) is also heard in casual speech.
Is there a difference between oar and paddle in Chinese?
Chinese uses 桨 for both. If you need to be precise, 双桨 (shuāngjiǎng) describes a pair of oars, while context such as 皮划艇 (píhuátǐng, kayak) shows it is a paddle.