鐘 meaning and stroke order
Clock; bell
How to write 鐘, stroke by stroke
20 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 鐘
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- a (large) bell (CL:架[jia4])
- clock (CL:座[zuo4])
- amount of time; o'clock (CL:點|点[dian3],分[fen1],秒[miao3]) (as in 三點鐘|三点钟[san1 dian3 zhong1] "three o'clock" or "three hours" or 五分鐘|五分钟[wu3 fen1 zhong1] "five minutes" etc)
How 鐘 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Metal.
釒 gives the meaning and 童 hints at the sound.
Radical: 釒 (gold), shared by 135 characters on this site.
How to remember 鐘
鐘 is metal 釒 on the left plus 童 (tóng) on the right, which gives the sound. Picture a child 童 striking a big metal bell to tell everyone the time.
鐘 means a bell or a clock, and it also follows time words to mark o'clock or a length of time, as in 五分鐘 (wǔ fēnzhōng, five minutes). In simplified Chinese it is written 钟. Example: 我等了你十分鐘。(Wǒ děng le nǐ shí fēnzhōng.) I waited for you for ten minutes.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 鐘 with 鍾 (zhōng), which has 重 on the right and is mainly a surname or means 'to concentrate (feelings)'. Both simplify to 钟, so be careful when converting simplified text to traditional.
Common words with 鐘
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 分鐘 | fēnzhōng | minute | HSK 2 |
| 鬧鐘 | nàozhōng | alarm clock | HSK 4 |
| 鐘頭 | zhōngtóu | (coll.) hour | HSK 6 |
| 警鐘 | jǐngzhōng | alarm bell | HSK 7-9 |
| 點鐘 | diǎnzhōng | (indicating time of day) o'clock | |
| 秒鐘 | miǎozhōng | (time) second | |
| 鐘聲 | zhōngshēng | the sound of a bell | |
| 時鐘 | shízhōng | clock | |
| 鐘錶 | zhōngbiǎo | clock | |
| 金鐘 | jīnzhōng | Admiralty, Hong Kong | |
| 鐘樓 | Zhōnglóu | bell tower; campanile | |
| 一刻鐘 | yīkèzhōng | a quarter of an hour |
Questions about 鐘
How many strokes are in 鐘?
鐘 is written with 20 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 鐘 mean?
鐘 (zhōng) means clock; bell. A common word with it is 分钟 (fēnzhōng), meaning "minute".
How do you pronounce 鐘?
鐘 is pronounced zhōng, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 鐘?
The radical of 鐘 is 釒, which carries the idea of "gold". Dictionaries list 鐘 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 鐘?
鐘 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 钟, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the difference between 三點鐘 and 三個鐘頭?
三點鐘 (sān diǎn zhōng) means three o'clock, a point in time. 三個鐘頭 (sān ge zhōngtóu) means three hours, a length of time, and is more colloquial than 三個小時.
Can I leave out 鐘 when telling time?
Yes. 三點 (sān diǎn) alone means three o'clock, and 五分 can mean five minutes past in a time like 三點五分. For durations, 五分鐘 is the normal form.