光 (guāng) is a Chinese character meaning “light”. It is written from ⺌ (three short strokes fanning out at the top of a character) and 兀 (high and level; bare), one above the other, and takes 6 strokes.
Build the character for “light”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
⺌ + 兀
Top–bottom structure
- ⺌ three short strokes fanning out at the top of a character unknown
- 兀 high and level; bare · wù unknown
Structure from: 现代字形拆分，依 hanzi-writer-data 笔顺逐笔核验（前三笔=⺌，后三笔=兀）
Memory aid
Three sparks (⺌) flying up off a bare, level platform (兀). Both parts really are in this character, and together they give you light.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
6 strokes
In real words
- 月光yuè guāngmoonlight光 = guāng
- 光芒guāng mángrays of light; radiance光 = guāng
- 光泽guāng zéluster; sheen; gloss光 = guāng
- 光荣guāng róngglory; honor; glorious光 = guāng
- 沾光zhān guāngto benefit from someone else's good fortune光 = guāng
- 烛光zhú guāngcandlelight光 = guāng
- 荧光yíng guāngfluorescence; fluorescent light光 = guāng
Go deeper
All readings
light
light; ray; brightness; glory
照亮物体、能被眼睛看见的能量；也指光亮、荣耀。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 月光yuè guāngmoonlight光 = guāng
- 光芒guāng mángrays of light; radiance光 = guāng
- 光泽guāng zéluster; sheen; gloss光 = guāng
- 光荣guāng róngglory; honor; glorious光 = guāng
- 沾光zhān guāngto benefit from someone else's good fortune光 = guāng
- 烛光zhú guāngcandlelight光 = guāng
- 荧光yíng guāngfluorescence; fluorescent light光 = guāng
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 光 mean?
光 (guāng) means light; ray; brightness; glory.
How do you pronounce 光?
It is pronounced guāng.
What parts is 光 made of?
⺌ (three short strokes fanning out at the top of a character) and 兀 (high and level; bare), one above the other. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分，依 hanzi-writer-data 笔顺逐笔核验（前三笔=⺌，后三笔=兀）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 光 have?
6. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 光?
儿. 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 光?
Common ones are 月光 and 光芒. The reading of 光 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.