酱 meaning and stroke order
Thick paste of fermented soybean; marinated in soy paste; paste
How to write 酱, stroke by stroke
13 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 酱
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- thick paste of fermented soybean
- marinated in soy paste
- paste
- jam
How 酱 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Wine.
酉 gives the meaning and 丬 hints at the sound.
Radical: 酉 (wine), shared by 67 characters on this site.
How to remember 酱
The bottom part 酉 is a wine jar, the meaning hint, since sauces like soy paste are fermented in jars just like wine. The top 丬 gives the sound jiàng, and 夕 sits beside it, so picture a jar fermenting all night to make thick paste.
酱 (jiàng) is mostly used as the last part of words for thick sauces, pastes and spreads, such as 果酱 (guǒjiàng) jam and 番茄酱 (fānqiéjiàng) ketchup. It also appears at the front in 酱油 (jiàngyóu) soy sauce. Example: 我想在面包上抹点花生酱。(Wǒ xiǎng zài miànbāo shang mǒ diǎn huāshēngjiàng.) I want to spread some peanut butter on my bread.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 酱 (jiàng) with 将 (jiāng, will; general), which shares the top 丬 and 夕 but has 寸 instead of 酉 at the bottom. Remember the jar 酉 means food that ferments, and note the fourth tone in jiàng.
Common words with 酱
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 果酱 | guǒjiàng | jam | HSK 6 |
| 酱油 | jiàngyóu | soy sauce | HSK 6 |
| 花生酱 | huāshēngjiàng | peanut butter | |
| 番茄酱 | fānqiéjiàng | ketchup; tomato sauce | |
| 鱼子酱 | yúzǐjiàng | caviar | |
| 蛋黄酱 | dànhuángjiàng | mayonnaise | |
| 肉酱 | ròujiàng | minced meat sauce; (fig.) mincemeat | |
| 炸酱面 | zhájiàngmiàn | zhajiang mian, thick wheat noodles served with ground pork simmered in salty fermented soy | |
| 辣椒酱 | làjiāojiàng | red pepper paste; chili sauce |
酱 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 酱
How many strokes are in 酱?
酱 is written with 13 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 酱 mean?
酱 (jiàng) means thick paste of fermented soybean; marinated in soy paste; paste. A common word with it is 果酱 (guǒjiàng), meaning "jam".
How do you pronounce 酱?
酱 is pronounced jiàng, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 酱?
The radical of 酱 is 酉, which carries the idea of "wine". Dictionaries list 酱 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 酱?
The traditional form of 酱 is 醬. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 酱 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 酱 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 酱 is part of the HSK 6 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Is 酱 the same as 酱油?
No. 酱 alone usually means a thick paste, often fermented soybean paste, while 酱油 (jiàngyóu) is the thin liquid soy sauce. If you want soy sauce at a restaurant, ask for 酱油.
Can 酱 describe a way of cooking?
Yes. 酱 can mean marinated or braised in soy paste, as in 酱牛肉 (jiàng niúròu) soy-braised beef. In this use it comes before the food it describes.