章 meaning and stroke order
Chapter; section; clause
How to write 章, stroke by stroke
11 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
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
Meaning of 章
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- chapter
- section
- clause
- movement (of symphony)
- seal
- badge
How 章 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. The ten 十 movements of a piece of music 音.
Radical: 立 (to stand), shared by 14 characters on this site.
How to remember 章
章 is 音 (yīn, sound or music) sitting on top of 十 (shí, ten). Picture a piece of music 音 divided into ten 十 movements, and each movement is a chapter or section.
章 means a chapter or section of writing, and also a seal or badge. It appears in many common words like 文章 (wénzhāng, article) and 印章 (yìnzhāng, seal). Example: 这本书有十二章。(Zhè běn shū yǒu shí'èr zhāng.) This book has twelve chapters.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 章 with 彰 (zhāng, to show clearly) and 樟 (zhāng, camphor tree), which share the same sound and contain 章. Also, the bottom of 章 is 早 shaped (日 over 十), so do not drop the 日 part and write only 立 over 十.
Common words with 章
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 文章 | wénzhāng | article; essay | HSK 3 |
| 勋章 | xūnzhāng | medal; decoration | HSK 7-9 |
| 印章 | yìnzhāng | seal; signet | HSK 7-9 |
| 违章 | wéizhāng | to break the rules; to violate regulations | HSK 7-9 |
| 出口成章 | chūkǒu-chéngzhāng | (idiom) (of one's speech) eloquent; articulate | HSK 7-9 |
| 顺理成章 | shùnlǐ-chéngzhāng | logical; only to be expected | HSK 7-9 |
| 杂乱无章 | záluàn-wúzhāng | disordered and in a mess (idiom); all mixed up and chaotic | HSK 7-9 |
| 徽章 | huīzhāng | badge; emblem | |
| 奖章 | jiǎngzhāng | medal | |
| 章鱼 | zhāngyú | octopus | |
| 章节 | zhāngjié | chapter; section | |
| 规章 | guīzhāng | rule; regulation | |
| 乐章 | yuèzhāng | movement (of a symphony) | |
| 大费周章 | dàfèizhōuzhāng | to take great pains; to go to a lot of trouble |
章 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 章
Learning 章 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 章
How many strokes are in 章?
章 is written with 11 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 章 mean?
章 (zhāng) means chapter; section; clause. A common word with it is 文章 (wénzhāng), meaning "article; essay".
How do you pronounce 章?
章 is pronounced zhāng, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 章?
The radical of 章 is 立, which carries the idea of "to stand". Dictionaries list 章 under this radical.
Is 章 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 章 is part of the HSK 3 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
How do you say Chapter 1 in Chinese?
Say 第一章 (dì yī zhāng). Put 第 before the number and 章 after it, for example 第三章 (dì sān zhāng) for Chapter 3.
Is 章 also a Chinese surname?
Yes, 章 (Zhāng) is a surname. It is different from the more common surname 张 (Zhāng), so people often clarify by saying 立早章 (lì zǎo Zhāng) to describe how it is written.