The character 熊 — “bear”: how to write it and what it means

熊
xióng

bear

14 strokes · HSK 3 · word page

The Chinese character 熊 is read xióng and means “bear”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.

Stroke order: how to write 熊

熊 has 14 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 熊, with strokes to trace and empty squares.

What 熊 is made of

On top, 能 “can”; below, 灬 “fire”. 熊猫 is a “bear-cat”: a panda.

The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.

Words with 熊

Frequently asked questions

How do you write the character 熊?

熊 has 14 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 熊 mean?

熊 means “bear”. It appears in 大熊猫 (“giant panda”).

How do you pronounce 熊?

熊 is read xióng. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.

How many strokes does 熊 have?

14 strokes.

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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 熊 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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