胀 meaning and stroke order
To swell; to distend; to expand; swollen; bloated
How to write 胀, stroke by stroke
8 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 胀
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to swell; to distend; to expand
- swollen; bloated
How 胀 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Flesh.
⺼ gives the meaning and 长 hints at the sound.
Radical: ⺼ (meat), shared by 176 characters on this site.
How to remember 胀
The flesh radical ⺼ sits next to 长 (cháng, long; zhǎng, to grow), so picture your body flesh growing bigger and bigger until it feels swollen. 长 also gives the sound, since 胀 (zhàng) sounds close to 长 (zhǎng).
胀 describes a feeling of fullness or swelling, often in the body, like a bloated stomach or a swollen head. It also appears in the words 膨胀 (péngzhàng, to expand) and 通货膨胀 (tōnghuò péngzhàng, inflation). Example: 我吃太多了，肚子很胀。(Wǒ chī tài duō le, dùzi hěn zhàng.) I ate too much, and my stomach feels bloated.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 胀 with 涨 (zhǎng / zhàng, to rise), which uses the water radical. Prices rising is 涨价 (zhǎngjià) with water, but bloating and swelling of the body use 胀 with flesh.
Common words with 胀
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
胀 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 胀
How many strokes are in 胀?
胀 is written with 8 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 胀 mean?
胀 (zhàng) means to swell; to distend; to expand; swollen; bloated. A common word with it is 膨胀 (péngzhàng), meaning "to expand; to inflate".
How do you pronounce 胀?
胀 is pronounced zhàng, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 胀?
The radical of 胀 is ⺼, which carries the idea of "meat". Dictionaries list 胀 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 胀?
The traditional form of 胀 is 脹. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 胀 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 胀 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 胀 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 胀 and 肿 (zhǒng)?
肿 means visibly swollen, like a swollen ankle after an injury. 胀 often describes an inner feeling of fullness or pressure, like 头胀 (tóu zhàng, head feels heavy and full). Together they form 肿胀 (zhǒngzhàng), swelling.
How do you say inflation in the economic sense?
Use 通货膨胀 (tōnghuò péngzhàng), often shortened to 通胀 (tōngzhàng) in news and everyday talk. For example, 通胀很严重 (tōngzhàng hěn yánzhòng) means inflation is serious.