董 meaning and stroke order
To direct, to supervise; surname
How to write 董, 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 董
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to supervise
- to direct
- director
How 董 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Plant.
艹 gives the meaning and 重 hints at the sound.
Radical: 艹 (grass), shared by 421 characters on this site.
How to remember 董
董 is grass 艹 on top of 重 (zhòng, heavy), which hints at the sound. Picture a director sitting heavily on top of a grassy field, watching over everyone below.
董 almost never appears alone in modern Chinese. You meet it in business words like 董事 (dǒngshì) and 董事长 (dǒngshìzhǎng), in 古董 (gǔdǒng, antique), and as a common surname. Example: 他是公司的董事长。(Tā shì gōngsī de dǒngshìzhǎng.) He is the chairman of the company.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 董 (dǒng) with 懂 (dǒng, to understand), which has the heart radical 忄 on the left. They sound the same, so check whether the meaning is about directing or understanding.
Common words with 董
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
董 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 董
Learning 董 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 董
How many strokes are in 董?
董 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 董 mean?
董 (dǒng) means to direct, to supervise; surname. A common word with it is 董事会 (dǒngshìhuì), meaning "board of directors".
How do you pronounce 董?
董 is pronounced dǒng, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 董?
The radical of 董 is 艹, which carries the idea of "grass". Dictionaries list 董 under this radical.
Is 董 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 董 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Why is 董 pronounced dǒng when 重 is zhòng?
重 is the sound component, but sound hints in Chinese are often approximate because pronunciations changed over time. Here the final -ong matches, while the initial and tone differ.
Is 老古董 an insult?
It can be mildly teasing. Calling a person 老古董 (lǎogǔdǒng) means they are old-fashioned or stuck in the past, so use it only with people you know well.