The character 想 — “want”: how to write it and what it means
want, think
The Chinese character 想 is read xiǎng and means “want, think”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 想
想 has 13 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 想, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 想 is made of
Below, 心 “heart”.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 想
- 梦想dream; dream ofHSK 4
- 理想ideal, dream; idealHSK 4
- 想法idea, thoughtHSK 4
- 想念miss (someone)HSK 5
- 想象imagineHSK 5
- 思想thought, ideologyHSK 5
- 幻想fantasize; fantasy, illusionHSK 6
- 设想imagine; plan, ideaHSK 6
- 联想associate; associationHSK 6
- 感想impressions, thoughts (on sth)HSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 想?
想 has 13 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 想 mean?
想 means “want, think”. It appears in 梦想 (“dream”), 理想 (“ideal”), 想法 (“idea”), 想念 (“miss”).
How do you pronounce 想?
想 is read xiǎng. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 想 have?
13 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 想 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