葬 meaning and stroke order
To bury (the dead); to inter
How to write 葬, 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.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
Meaning of 葬
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to bury (the dead)
- to inter
- old variant of 葬[zang4]
How 葬 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A corpse 死 laid 廾 to rest under the grass 艹.
Radical: 艹 (grass), shared by 421 characters on this site.
How to remember 葬
Look at the layers from top to bottom. Grass 艹 sits on top, the dead 死 (sǐ) lies in the middle, and two hands 廾 at the bottom lay the body to rest, so a body placed under the grass means to bury.
葬 is mostly used in two-character words about funerals and burial, such as 葬礼 (zànglǐ, funeral), 埋葬 (máizàng, to bury) and 火葬 (huǒzàng, cremation). It also appears figuratively in 葬送 (zàngsòng), meaning to ruin or throw away something like a future. Example: 他的爷爷安葬在老家。 (Tā de yéye ānzàng zài lǎojiā.) His grandfather was buried in his hometown.
Common mistake: Learners often read 葬 as zāng or zǎng because of 脏 (zāng, dirty), but 葬 is always fourth tone, zàng. Also do not forget the 廾 at the bottom. Without it the shape looks like 死 under grass and is incomplete.
Common words with 葬
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 葬礼 | zànglǐ | burial; funeral | HSK 7-9 |
| 陪葬 | péizàng | to be buried with or next to dead person (of deceased's partner, or of funerary objects) | HSK 7-9 |
| 埋葬 | máizàng | to bury | |
| 安葬 | ānzàng | to bury (the dead) | |
| 下葬 | xiàzàng | to bury; to inter | |
| 火葬 | huǒzàng | to cremate | |
| 火葬场 | huǒzàngchǎng | crematorium | |
| 葬送 | zàngsòng | to hold a funeral procession and burial; to give sb a final send-off | |
| 葬身 | zàngshēn | to bury a corpse; to be buried |
葬 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 葬
Learning 葬 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 葬
How many strokes are in 葬?
葬 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 葬 mean?
葬 (zàng) means to bury (the dead); to inter. A common word with it is 葬礼 (zànglǐ), meaning "burial; funeral".
How do you pronounce 葬?
葬 is pronounced zàng, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 葬?
The radical of 葬 is 艹, which carries the idea of "grass". Dictionaries list 葬 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 葬?
The traditional form of 葬 is 塟. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 葬 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 葬 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 葬 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 埋 (mái) and 葬 (zàng)?
埋 is a general word for burying anything, like treasure or rubbish. 葬 is specifically about burying the dead with some ceremony. 埋葬 combines both and is common in writing.
Can 葬送 be used for things other than funerals?
Yes, in modern Chinese 葬送 usually means to ruin or destroy something. For example, 葬送前途 (zàngsòng qiántú) means to ruin one's future. It has a strong, negative tone.