倘 (tǎng) is a Chinese character meaning “if”. It is written from 亻 (person (the form 人 takes on the left)) and 尚 (still; yet; to esteem), side by side, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “if; supposing”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
亻 + 尚
Left–right structure
Structure from: Unicode U+5018 与 hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 现代字形核验（左「亻」2 笔 + 右「尚」8 笔 = 10 笔）
Memory aid
A person (亻) standing next to 尚 ("still"). If that person is still standing there… supposing they are — that "if" is 倘.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 倘若tǎng ruòif; supposing倘 = tǎng
- 倘使tǎng shǐif; in case倘 = tǎngspoken astáng shǐ
Go deeper
All readings
if; supposing
if; supposing; in case (literary conjunction, mostly in 倘若 and 倘使)
连词，表示假设，相当于「如果」「假如」。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 倘若tǎng ruòif; supposing倘 = tǎng
- 倘使tǎng shǐif; in case倘 = tǎngspoken astáng shǐ
Rare readings, not taught: cháng
Easy to confuse with
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 倘 mean?
倘 (tǎng) means if; supposing; in case (literary conjunction, mostly in 倘若 and 倘使).
How do you pronounce 倘?
It is pronounced tǎng.
What parts is 倘 made of?
亻 (person (the form 人 takes on the left)) and 尚 (still; yet; to esteem), side by side. The recorded source is: Unicode U+5018 与 hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 现代字形核验（左「亻」2 笔 + 右「尚」8 笔 = 10 笔）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 倘 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 倘?
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 倘?
Common ones are 倘若 and 倘使. The reading of 倘 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.