聲 meaning and stroke order
Sound, noise; voice, tone, music
How to write 聲, 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 聲
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- sound
- voice
- tone
- noise
- reputation
- classifier for sounds
How 聲 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Ear.
耳 gives the meaning and 殸 hints at the sound.
Radical: 耳 (ear), shared by 34 characters on this site.
How to remember 聲
聲 (shēng) puts 殸 on top of 耳 (ěr, ear). 殸 gives the sound of the character, and the ear 耳 at the bottom tells you the meaning: something you hear.
聲 is the traditional form, and mainland China writes it 声. It appears in many words about sound and voice, such as 聲音 (shēngyīn, sound) and 掌聲 (zhǎngshēng, applause). It can also count sounds: 他叫了一聲。(Tā jiào le yì shēng.) He gave a shout.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 聲 with 聽 (tīng, to listen), because both have 耳. 聲 is the sound itself, and 聽 is the act of listening. In 相聲 (xiàngsheng, comic dialogue), 聲 is usually said in the neutral tone, not shēng.
Common words with 聲
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 聲音 | shēngyīn | sound; voice | HSK 2 |
| 大聲 | dà shēng | loud voice; in a loud voice | HSK 2 |
| 小聲 | xiǎo shēng | in a low voice; (speak) in whispers | HSK 2 |
| 聲明 | shēngmíng | to state; to declare | HSK 3 |
| 歌聲 | gēshēng | singing voice; fig. original voice of a poet | HSK 3 |
| 鈴聲 | língshēng | ring; ringtone | HSK 5 |
| 相聲 | xiàngsheng | comic dialogue; sketch | HSK 5 |
| 掌聲 | zhǎngshēng | applause | HSK 6 |
| 笑聲 | xiàoshēng | laughter | HSK 6 |
| 響聲 | xiǎngshēng | noise | HSK 6 |
| 聲稱 | shēngchēng | to claim; to state | HSK 7-9 |
| 名聲 | míngshēng | reputation | HSK 7-9 |
| 聲譽 | shēngyù | reputation; fame | HSK 7-9 |
| 心聲 | xīnshēng | heartfelt wish; inner voice; aspiration | HSK 7-9 |
Questions about 聲
How many strokes are in 聲?
聲 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 聲 mean?
聲 (shēng) means sound, noise; voice, tone, music. A common word with it is 声音 (shēngyīn), meaning "sound; voice".
How do you pronounce 聲?
聲 is pronounced shēng, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 聲?
The radical of 聲 is 耳, which carries the idea of "ear". Dictionaries list 聲 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 聲?
聲 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 声, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the difference between 聲音 and 音樂?
聲音 (shēngyīn) means any sound or a person's voice. 音樂 (yīnyuè) means music specifically.
Can 聲 mean reputation?
Yes. In words like 聲譽 (shēngyù) and 名聲 (míngshēng), 聲 means reputation, the way people talk about you.