蒼 meaning and stroke order
Dark blue; deep green; old, hoary
How to write 蒼, stroke by stroke
14 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 蒼
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- dark blue
- deep green
- ash-gray
How 蒼 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Grass.
艹 gives the meaning and 倉 hints at the sound.
Radical: 艹 (grass), shared by 421 characters on this site.
How to remember 蒼
The grass radical 艹 sits on top of 倉 (cāng, granary), which gives the sound. Picture grass growing over an old granary, turning it a deep green-gray with age.
蒼 (cāng) describes dark blue or deep green colors, gray hair, and a sense of age or vastness, as in 苍天 (cāngtiān) the vast sky or 上苍 (shàngcāng) Heaven. It also appears in everyday words like 苍蝇 (cāngying) housefly and 苍白 (cāngbái) pale. Example: 他的脸色很苍白。 (Tā de liǎnsè hěn cāngbái.) His face is very pale.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 蒼 with 倉 (cāng, granary) or 艙 (cāng, cabin), which share the same sound. Remember that the color and age meanings need the grass radical 艹 on top.
Common words with 蒼
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
Questions about 蒼
How many strokes are in 蒼?
蒼 is written with 14 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 蒼 mean?
蒼 (cāng) means dark blue; deep green; old, hoary. A common word with it is 苍蝇 (cāngying), meaning "housefly".
How do you pronounce 蒼?
蒼 is pronounced cāng, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 蒼?
The radical of 蒼 is 艹, which carries the idea of "grass". Dictionaries list 蒼 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 蒼?
蒼 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 苍, used in mainland China and Singapore.
Why does 苍蝇 use a character that means dark blue or green?
In 苍蝇 (cāngying), 苍 likely describes the fly's dark, grayish-blue color. Note that in this word 蝇 is usually read in the neutral tone.
Can 蒼 describe old age in people?
Yes. It can describe gray, aged hair or appearance, as in 白发苍苍 (báifà cāngcāng) gray-haired and old. This use is more literary than conversational.