The character 往 — “toward”: how to write it and what it means
toward
The Chinese character 往 is read wǎng and means “toward”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 往
往 has 8 strokes. At each step the new stroke is highlighted — write them in the same order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical, a frame before what is inside it, and the bottom stroke of the frame last.
To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for 往, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 往 is made of
On the left, 彳 “step”.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 往
- 往往often, more often than notHSK 4
- 交往associate with, socializeHSK 5
- 往返round tripHSK 5
- 前往head forHSK 5
- 来往keep in touch; come and goHSK 6
- 往来keep in contact; come and goHSK 6
- 向往yearn for, dream ofHSK 6
- 以往before, in the pastHSK 6
- 往年former yearsHSK 6
- 往后from now on, henceforthHSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 往?
往 has 8 strokes. They follow the usual rules: top to bottom, left to right, horizontal before vertical, outside before inside. The order of each stroke is shown on this page.
What does 往 mean?
往 means “toward”. It appears in 往往 (“often”), 交往 (“associate with”), 往返 (“round trip”), 前往 (“head for”).
How do you pronounce 往?
往 is read wǎng. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 往 have?
8 strokes.
More characters on the page “Chinese characters with meanings” and in the list of HSK characters by level; whole words are in the dictionary.
Write 往 yourself
In the lessons you write characters stroke by stroke with a finger or a mouse, and the course checks the order. You can start for free, no sign-up needed.
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