沖 meaning and stroke order
Wash, rinse, flush; dash; soar
How to write 沖, stroke by stroke
7 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
Meaning of 沖
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (of water) to dash against
- to mix with water
- to infuse
- to rinse
- to flush
- to develop (a film)
How 沖 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Water.
氵 gives the meaning and 中 hints at the sound.
Radical: 氵 (water), shared by 467 characters on this site.
How to remember 沖
沖 combines water 氵 with 中 (zhōng), which gives the sound. Picture water rushing straight through the middle 中 of something, flushing it clean.
沖 is used for water striking or rinsing, for pouring hot water over something like tea or instant drinks, and for developing film. In mainland simplified Chinese this sense is written 冲, so the common words appear as 冲洗, 冲澡 and so on. Example: 我先冲个澡。(Wǒ xiān chōng ge zǎo.) I'll take a quick shower first.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 沖 with 沙 (shā, sand), since both have the water radical on the left. Remember that 沖 has 中 on the right, which also hints at its chōng sound.
Common words with 沖
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
Questions about 沖
How many strokes are in 沖?
沖 is written with 7 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 沖 mean?
沖 (chōng) means wash, rinse, flush; dash; soar. A common word with it is 冲洗 (chōngxǐ), meaning "to rinse; to wash; (photography) to develop (film)".
How do you pronounce 沖?
沖 is pronounced chōng, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 沖?
The radical of 沖 is 氵, which carries the idea of "water". Dictionaries list 沖 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 沖?
沖 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 冲, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the difference between 沖 and 冲?
沖 is the form with the full water radical 氵, often seen in traditional texts and in Japanese. 冲 with the two-dot radical 冫 is the standard simplified form used in mainland China for both the rinsing sense and the dashing sense.
How do I say 'make a cup of coffee' using this character?
Use 冲 (沖) for pouring water over a powder or leaves: 冲一杯咖啡 (chōng yì bēi kāfēi) means to make a cup of coffee, usually instant. It works the same way for tea, milk powder, or medicine granules.