棱 meaning and stroke order
Squared timber; angle, corner, edge
How to write 棱, 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 棱
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- arris; edge
- corrugation; ridges
- square beam
- variant of 稜|棱[leng2]
- used in 刺棱[ci1 leng1]
- used in 花不棱登[hua1 bu5 leng1 deng1]
- used in 撲棱|扑棱[pu1 leng1]
- used in 穆稜|穆棱[Mu4 ling2] (the name of a place in Heilongjiang)
- used in 丹稜|丹棱[Dan1 ling2] (the name of a place in Sichuan)
- used in 綏稜|绥棱[Sui2 ling2] (the name of a place in Heilongjiang)
How 棱 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Wood.
木 gives the meaning and 夌 hints at the sound.
Radical: 木 (tree), shared by 388 characters on this site.
How to remember 棱
棱 is wood 木 on the left with 夌 (líng) on the right giving the sound. Picture a squared wooden beam with sharp edges, and you have the meaning: edge, corner, ridge.
棱 (léng) most often means a sharp edge or ridge where two surfaces meet, as in 棱角 (léngjiǎo, edges and corners). 棱角 is also used figuratively for a sharp, outspoken personality. Example: 他年轻时很有棱角。(Tā niánqīng shí hěn yǒu léngjiǎo.) He had sharp edges when he was young.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 棱 with 菱 (líng, water chestnut, as in 菱形 'rhombus'). Both share 夌, but 棱 has 木 on the left and 菱 has 艹 on top. Also, the usual reading is léng, not líng, except in some place names.
Common words with 棱
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 棱角 | léngjiǎo | edge and corner; protrusion | HSK 7-9 |
棱 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 棱
How many strokes are in 棱?
棱 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 棱 mean?
棱 (léng) means squared timber; angle, corner, edge. A common word with it is 棱角 (léngjiǎo), meaning "edge and corner; protrusion".
How do you pronounce 棱?
棱 is pronounced léng, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 棱?
The radical of 棱 is 木, which carries the idea of "tree". Dictionaries list 棱 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 棱?
The traditional form of 棱 is 稜. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 棱 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 棱 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 棱 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
When is 棱 pronounced lēng or líng instead of léng?
It is lēng in a few sound words like 扑棱 (pūlēng, the flapping of wings). It is líng in place names such as 穆棱 (Mùlíng) in Heilongjiang and 丹棱 (Dānlíng) in Sichuan.
How do you say 'prism' in Chinese using 棱?
A prism is 棱镜 (léngjìng), literally 'edge mirror'. In geometry, 棱 also refers to the edges of a solid shape, as in 棱柱 (léngzhù, prism as a solid).