The character 箱 — “box”: how to write it and what it means

箱
xiāng

box, chest

15 strokes · HSK 3

The Chinese character 箱 is read xiāng and means “box, chest”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.

Stroke order: how to write 箱

箱 has 15 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 箱, with strokes to trace and empty squares.

What 箱 is made of

On top, 竹 “bamboo”; below, 相 xiāng hints at the sound.

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

Words with 箱

Frequently asked questions

How do you write the character 箱?

箱 has 15 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 箱 mean?

箱 means “box, chest”. It appears in 冰箱 (“refrigerator”), 箱子 (“suitcase”), 邮箱 (“mailbox”).

How do you pronounce 箱?

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

How many strokes does 箱 have?

15 strokes.

← 冰 ice空 empty →

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 箱 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.

Start for free