長 meaning and stroke order
Long, lasting; to excel in
How to write 長, stroke by stroke
8 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
Meaning of 長
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- long
- (bound form) length
- (bound form) strong point; forte
- (bound form) to be good at
- (literary) surplus; spare (Taiwan pr. [zhang4])
- chief
- head
- elder
- to grow
- to develop
- to increase
How 長 is built
Pictographic character. An old man with long hair and a cane.
How to remember 長
長 is a picture of an old man with long, flowing hair and a cane. His long hair gives the meaning long (cháng), and his age makes him the elder or chief (zhǎng) who has grown up.
Read as zhǎng, 長 means to grow or the head of a group, and it appears at the end of many job titles like 校長 (xiàozhǎng) and 市長 (shìzhǎng). Read as cháng, it means long, as in 很長 (hěn cháng). Example: 孩子長大了。(Háizi zhǎngdà le.) The child has grown up.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up the two readings. Use cháng for length (長城 Chángchéng, the Great Wall) and zhǎng for growing or leaders (班長 bānzhǎng), and never say chángdà for 長大.
Common words with 長
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 長大 | zhǎngdà | to grow up | HSK 2 |
| 隊長 | duìzhǎng | captain; team leader | HSK 2 |
| 市長 | shìzhǎng | mayor | HSK 2 |
| 校長 | xiàozhǎng | (college, university) president; headmaster | HSK 2 |
| 家長 | jiāzhǎng | head of a household; family head | HSK 2 |
| 院長 | yuànzhǎng | the head of an institution whose name ends in 院[yuan4]; chair of a board; university presi | HSK 2 |
| 組長 | zǔzhǎng | group leader | HSK 2 |
| 班長 | bānzhǎng | class monitor; squad leader | HSK 2 |
| 部長 | bùzhǎng | head of a (government etc) department; section chief | HSK 3 |
| 成長 | chéngzhǎng | to mature; to grow | HSK 3 |
| 長期 | chángqī | long-term; for a protracted period | HSK 3 |
| 生長 | shēngzhǎng | to grow; to grow up | HSK 3 |
| 增長 | zēngzhǎng | to grow; to increase | HSK 3 |
| 所長 | suǒzhǎng | what one is good at; one's strong point | HSK 3 |
Characters that contain 長
Learning 長 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 長
How many strokes are in 長?
長 is written with 8 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 長 mean?
長 (zhǎng) means long, lasting; to excel in. A common word with it is 长大 (zhǎngdà), meaning "to grow up".
How do you pronounce 長?
長 is pronounced zhǎng, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the simplified form of 長?
長 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 长, used in mainland China and Singapore.
How do I know whether 長 is read cháng or zhǎng?
If it describes length or a strong point, it is cháng, as in 長度 (chángdù) length and 特長 (tècháng) special skill. If it means to grow, elder, or the head of something, it is zhǎng.
Why do I see 长 instead of 長 in most textbooks?
长 is the simplified form used in mainland China, while 長 is used in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and older texts. They are the same word with the same readings and meanings.