江 meaning and stroke order
River
How to write 江, stroke by stroke
6 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 江
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- river
How 江 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Water.
氵 gives the meaning and 工 hints at the sound.
Radical: 氵 (water), shared by 467 characters on this site.
How to remember 江
江 is pictophonetic: the water radical 氵 on the left gives the meaning, and 工 (gōng) on the right gives the sound. Picture water flowing through a big work site 工 to remember a large river.
江 means a large river and often appears in river names, especially 长江 (Chángjiāng), the Yangtze. It also shows up in words like 江山 (jiāngshān, landscape, the country) and 江湖 (jiānghú, the wider world, often used for the world of wandering martial artists). Example: 我们在江边散步。(Wǒmen zài jiāng biān sànbù.) We take a walk by the river.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes write 江 with the right side as 土 or 王. It is 工, with only two horizontal strokes and no extra lines. Also keep the first tone jiāng, not jiǎng as in 讲 (jiǎng, to speak), which shares the same pinyin letters.
Common words with 江
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 江湖 | jiānghú | rivers and lakes; all corners of the country; remote areas to which hermits retreat | |
| 江山 | Jiāngshān | rivers and mountains; landscape |
江 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 江
Learning 江 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 江
How many strokes are in 江?
江 is written with 6 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 江 mean?
江 (jiāng) means river. A common word with it is 江湖 (jiānghú), meaning "rivers and lakes; all corners of the country; remote areas to which hermits retreat".
How do you pronounce 江?
江 is pronounced jiāng, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 江?
The radical of 江 is 氵, which carries the idea of "water". Dictionaries list 江 under this radical.
Is 江 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 江 is part of the HSK 4 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 2.
What is the difference between 江 and 河?
Both mean river. Traditionally 江 was used for rivers in the south, like 长江, and 河 for rivers in the north, like 黄河 (Huánghé). In everyday speech 河 is the more general word for a river of any size.
Is 江 a common surname?
Yes, 江 (Jiāng) is a fairly common Chinese surname. When used as a surname it keeps the same pronunciation, jiāng.