殭 meaning and stroke order
A stiff corpse
How to write 殭, stroke by stroke
17 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 殭
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- variant of 僵[jiang1]
How 殭 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Corpse.
歹 gives the meaning and 畺 hints at the sound.
Radical: 歹 (corpse), shared by 29 characters on this site.
How to remember 殭
The left part 歹 (dǎi) is linked to death and bad things, and the right part 畺 (jiāng) gives the sound. Picture a body gone rigid, laid out like the straight lines of 畺, and you have 殭, a stiff corpse.
殭 is a variant of 僵 (jiāng), so in modern standard Chinese you will almost always see 僵 instead. You may still meet 殭 in older texts, in traditional-character settings, or in the word for the hopping vampire of Chinese folklore: 殭屍 / 僵尸 (jiāngshī). Example: 他怕看殭屍片。(Tā pà kàn jiāngshī piàn.) He is afraid of watching jiangshi movies.
Common mistake: Learners often write 殭 when they mean the everyday word for stiff or deadlocked, like 僵硬 (jiāngyìng). Those words normally use 僵 with the person radical 亻. Also do not confuse 畺 with 疆 (jiāng, border), which adds 弓 and 土 on the left.
Common words with 殭
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 殭屍 | jiāngshī | gyonshi; jiang shi |
Questions about 殭
How many strokes are in 殭?
殭 is written with 17 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 殭 mean?
殭 (jiāng) means a stiff corpse. A common word with it is 僵尸 (jiāngshī), meaning "gyonshi; jiang shi".
How do you pronounce 殭?
殭 is pronounced jiāng, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 殭?
The radical of 殭 is 歹, which carries the idea of "corpse". Dictionaries list 殭 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 殭?
殭 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 僵, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is a jiangshi?
A jiangshi (僵尸 or 殭屍) is a reanimated corpse from Chinese folklore, often shown hopping with arms stretched out. The name literally means stiff corpse.
Should I use 殭 or 僵 when I type?
Use 僵 in most cases, since it is the standard form in mainland Chinese and is widely used elsewhere. 殭 is mainly worth recognizing when reading.