棟 meaning and stroke order
Ridge-beam; the main support of a house
How to write 棟, 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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- 12
Meaning of 棟
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- classifier for houses or buildings
- ridgepole (old)
How 棟 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Wood.
木 gives the meaning and 東 hints at the sound.
Radical: 木 (tree), shared by 388 characters on this site.
How to remember 棟
棟 is wood 木 on the left plus 東 (dōng) on the right, which gives the sound. Picture the main wooden beam running along the top of a house, and remember it sounds almost like 東.
Today 棟 is mostly used as a measure word for whole buildings, and it also appears in 棟梁 (dòngliáng), which can describe a pillar of society. Example: 這棟樓很高。(Zhè dòng lóu hěn gāo.) This building is very tall.
Common mistake: Learners often read 棟 with the first tone like 東 (dōng), but it is fourth tone, dòng. Also, do not confuse it with 凍 (dòng, to freeze), which has the ice radical 冫 instead of 木.
Common words with 棟
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 棟梁 | dòngliáng | ridgepole; ridgepole and beams | HSK 7-9 |
Questions about 棟
How many strokes are in 棟?
棟 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 棟 mean?
棟 (dòng) means ridge-beam; the main support of a house. A common word with it is 栋梁 (dòngliáng), meaning "ridgepole; ridgepole and beams".
How do you pronounce 棟?
棟 is pronounced dòng, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 棟?
The radical of 棟 is 木, which carries the idea of "tree". Dictionaries list 棟 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 棟?
棟 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 栋, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the difference between 棟 and 座 as measure words for buildings?
Both can count buildings. 棟 is common for houses and apartment blocks, while 座 (zuò) is broader and also counts mountains, bridges and large structures like temples.
What does it mean to call someone a 棟梁?
Literally it means the ridgepole and beams that hold up a house. Figuratively it praises a person as a key pillar of the country or an organization, as in 國家棟梁 (guójiā dòngliáng).