仰 (yǎng) is a Chinese character meaning “to face upward”. It is written from 亻 (person (the form 人 takes on the left)) and 卬 (raised head; (archaic) I, me), side by side, and takes 6 strokes.
Build the character for “to look up”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
亻 + 卬
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字: 仰，舉也。从人卬（现代字形拆分经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：亻2画 + 卬4画 = 6画）
Memory aid
A person (亻) stands beside 卬, the shape of a head tipped back. Side by side they show someone lifting their face to look up.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
6 strokes
In real words
- 仰望yǎng wàngto look up at仰 = yǎng
- 信仰xìn yǎngfaith; belief; conviction仰 = yǎng
Go deeper
All readings
to look up
to face upward; to look up at; to look up to, admire; to rely on
脸向上，抬头向上看。引申为敬慕、依靠。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 仰望yǎng wàngto look up at仰 = yǎng
- 信仰xìn yǎngfaith; belief; conviction仰 = yǎng
Sound component
卬 family rime near
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 仰 mean?
仰 (yǎng) means to face upward; to look up at; to look up to, admire; to rely on.
How do you pronounce 仰?
It is pronounced yǎng.
What parts is 仰 made of?
亻 (person (the form 人 takes on the left)) and 卬 (raised head; (archaic) I, me), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字: 仰，舉也。从人卬（现代字形拆分经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：亻2画 + 卬4画 = 6画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 仰 have?
6. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 仰?
人. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 仰?
Common ones are 仰望 and 信仰. The reading of 仰 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.