The character 争 — “fight”: how to write it and what it means

争
zhēng

fight, argue

6 strokes · HSK 4 · word page

The Chinese character 争 is read zhēng and means “fight, argue”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.

Stroke order: how to write 争

争 has 6 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 争, with strokes to trace and empty squares.

What 争 is made of

It hints at the sound of 净 and 静 jìng.

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

Words with 争

Frequently asked questions

How do you write the character 争?

争 has 6 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 争 mean?

争 means “fight, argue”. It appears in 竞争 (“compete”), 争取 (“strive for”), 争吵 (“quarrel”), 斗争 (“fight”).

How do you pronounce 争?

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

How many strokes does 争 have?

6 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 争 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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