橫 meaning and stroke order
Horizontal, across; unreasonable, harsh
How to write 橫, stroke by stroke
16 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 橫
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- horizontal
- across
- crosswise
- horizontal stroke (in Chinese characters)
- to place (sth) flat (on a surface)
- to cross (a river, etc)
- harsh and unreasonable
- unexpected
How 橫 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Tree.
木 gives the meaning and 黃 hints at the sound.
Radical: 木 (tree), shared by 388 characters on this site.
How to remember 橫
橫 is built from 木 (wood) on the left and 黃 (huáng) on the right, which gives the sound. Picture a wooden beam laid across a doorway: wood that lies flat and goes across is 橫 (héng).
橫 usually means horizontal or crosswise, and it also names the flat horizontal stroke in characters. It appears in many words like 橫跨 (héngkuà, to span) and 橫穿 (héngchuān, to cross). Example: 這座橋橫跨長江。(Zhè zuò qiáo héngkuà Chángjiāng.) This bridge spans the Yangtze River.
Common mistake: Learners often read every 橫 as héng. In the sense of harsh or unreasonable it is hèng, as in 蠻橫 (mánhèng, rude and unreasonable). Also do not confuse the right side 黃 with 廣 or 寅, which look similar at small sizes.
Common words with 橫
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 橫向 | héngxiàng | horizontal; orthogonal | HSK 7-9 |
| 橫七豎八 | héngqī-shùbā | in disorder; at sixes and sevens (idiom) | HSK 7-9 |
| 縱橫交錯 | zònghéng-jiāocuò | criss-crossed (idiom) | HSK 7-9 |
| 橫跨 | héngkuà | to span; to stretch across | |
| 才華橫溢 | cáihuáhéngyì | brimming over with talent (esp. literary); brilliant | |
| 橫掃 | héngsǎo | to sweep away; to sweep across | |
| 橫行 | héngxíng | to go on the rampage; to riot | |
| 橫穿 | héngchuān | to cross; to traverse | |
| 橫渡 | héngdù | to cross (a body of water) | |
| 橫越 | héngyuè | to cross; to pass over | |
| 橫梁 | héngliáng | beam | |
| 專橫 | zhuānhèng | imperious; peremptory | |
| 橫幅 | héngfú | horizontal scroll; banner |
Questions about 橫
How many strokes are in 橫?
橫 is written with 16 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 橫 mean?
橫 (héng) means horizontal, across; unreasonable, harsh. A common word with it is 横向 (héngxiàng), meaning "horizontal; orthogonal".
How do you pronounce 橫?
橫 is pronounced héng, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 橫?
The radical of 橫 is 木, which carries the idea of "tree". Dictionaries list 橫 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 橫?
橫 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 横, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the difference between 橫 and 横?
They are the same word. 橫 keeps the full 黃 component, while 横 is the simplified form used in mainland China, with a simplified 黄 on the right.
How do 橫 and 豎 work together?
橫 (héng) means horizontal and 豎 (shù) means vertical, so they often appear as a pair. The idiom 橫七豎八 (héngqī-shùbā) describes things lying every which way, in a mess.