聰 meaning and stroke order
Sharp (of sight and hearing); intelligent, clever, bright
How to write 聰, 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 聰
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (literary) acute (of hearing)
- (bound form) clever; intelligent; sharp
How 聰 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Ear.
耳 gives the meaning and 悤 hints at the sound.
Radical: 耳 (ear), shared by 34 characters on this site.
How to remember 聰
聰 has the ear 耳 on the left as its meaning part, and 悤 (cōng) on the right gives the sound. Think of someone with a sharp ear who catches everything, which is why the character came to mean clever.
聰 (cōng) is almost never used alone in modern Chinese. It appears in words like 聪明 (cōngmíng, clever) and 聪慧 (cōnghuì, bright). Example: 这个孩子很聪明。(Zhège háizi hěn cōngmíng.) This child is very clever.
Common mistake: Learners often write the left side as 目 (eye) because the word is about being bright, but the meaning part is the ear 耳. Also keep the first tone: cōng is high and level, not cóng as in 从 (cóng).
Common words with 聰
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
Questions about 聰
How many strokes are in 聰?
聰 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 聰 mean?
聰 (cōng) means sharp (of sight and hearing); intelligent, clever, bright. A common word with it is 聪明 (cōngmíng), meaning "intelligent; clever; bright; acute (of sight and hearing)".
How do you pronounce 聰?
聰 is pronounced cōng, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 聰?
The radical of 聰 is 耳, which carries the idea of "ear". Dictionaries list 聰 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 聰?
聰 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 聪, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the difference between 聪明 and 小聪明?
聪明 (cōngmíng) is a normal compliment meaning intelligent. 小聪明 (xiǎocōngming) is negative and describes someone who is clever only in petty or tricky ways. Saying 他有点小聪明 hints that the person is not truly wise.
Why is 聪明 sometimes written with a neutral tone on 明?
In everyday speech, especially in northern Mandarin, 聪明 is often pronounced cōngming with a light second syllable. Both cōngmíng and cōngming are heard and understood, and dictionaries list either form.