The character 从 — “from”: how to write it and what it means
from; follow
The Chinese character 从 is read cóng and means “from; follow”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 从
从 has 4 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 从, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 从 is made of
Two people 人 walking one behind the other.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 从
- 从小since childhoodHSK 2
- 从来never (with 不 / 没); alwaysHSK 4
- 从中from itHSK 4
- 从此since thenHSK 4
- 从前in the past, onceHSK 5
- 自从sinceHSK 5
- 从不neverHSK 5
- 从事be engaged in (work)HSK 5
- 从而therebyHSK 5
- 从未never (before)HSK 6
- 从业work (in an industry)HSK 6
- 服从obey, submitHSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 从?
从 has 4 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 从 mean?
从 means “from; follow”. It appears in 从小 (“since childhood”), 从来 (“never”), 从中 (“from it”), 从此 (“since then”).
How do you pronounce 从?
从 is read cóng. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 从 have?
4 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 从 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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