The character 衡 — “scales”: how to write it and what it means
scales; balance
The Chinese character 衡 is read héng and means “scales; balance”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 衡
衡 has 16 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 衡, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 衡 is made of
Outside, 行; inside, 角 “horn” and 大: originally a bar across an ox's horns. Hence “the beam of a scale”.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 衡
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 衡?
衡 has 16 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 衡 mean?
衡 means “scales; balance”. It appears in 平衡 (“balance”), 衡量 (“weigh”).
How do you pronounce 衡?
衡 is read héng. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 衡 have?
16 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 衡 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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