童 meaning and stroke order
Child, boy; servant boy; virgin
How to write 童, stroke by stroke
12 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 童
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- child
How 童 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A child standing 立 in the village 里.
Radical: 立 (to stand), shared by 14 characters on this site.
How to remember 童
童 (tóng) shows a child standing 立 (lì) in the village 里 (lǐ). Picture a kid standing out in the village lane, and you have "child."
童 is rarely used alone in modern Chinese. It mostly appears in words like 儿童 (értóng, child), 童年 (tóngnián, childhood) and 童话 (tónghuà, fairy tale). Example: 我的童年很快乐。(Wǒ de tóngnián hěn kuàilè.) My childhood was very happy.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 童 (tóng) with 重 (zhòng, heavy), because both have the 里 shape at the bottom. 童 has 立 on top, while 重 does not. Also remember the second tone in tóng, not the first tone of 同 (tóng) homophones like 通 (tōng).
Common words with 童
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 儿童 | értóng | child | HSK 4 |
| 童年 | tóngnián | childhood | HSK 4 |
| 童话 | tónghuà | children's fairy tales | HSK 4 |
| 童子军 | Tóngzǐjūn | child soldiers; juvenile militia | |
| 孩童 | háitóng | child | |
| 童话故事 | tónghuàgùshì | fairy tale | |
| 神童 | shéntóng | child prodigy | |
| 童子 | tóngzǐ | (literary) boy | |
| 童贞 | tóngzhēn | virginity; chastity | |
| 女童 | nǚtóng | little girl | |
| 男童 | nántóng | boy | |
| 球童 | qiútóng | (golf) caddie; (tennis etc) ball boy; ball girl; ball person | |
| 顽童 | wántóng | urchin |
童 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 童
Learning 童 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 童
How many strokes are in 童?
童 is written with 12 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 童 mean?
童 (tóng) means child, boy; servant boy; virgin. A common word with it is 儿童 (értóng), meaning "child".
How do you pronounce 童?
童 is pronounced tóng, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 童?
The radical of 童 is 立, which carries the idea of "to stand". Dictionaries list 童 under this radical.
Is 童 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 童 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 3.
What is the difference between 儿童 and 孩子?
孩子 (háizi) is the everyday word for child and can also mean someone's son or daughter. 儿童 (értóng) is more formal and general, used for children as a group, as in 儿童节 (Értóng Jié, Children's Day).
Why does 童 appear in characters like 瞳 and 撞?
In 瞳 (tóng, pupil of the eye) and 撞 (zhuàng, to bump into), 童 acts mainly as a sound component. Spotting 童 inside them can help you guess the pronunciation, especially for 瞳.