凰 (huáng) is a Chinese character meaning “phoenix (the Chinese mythical bird)”. It is written from 几 (small table; how many) and 皇 (emperor; sovereign), one enclosing the other, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “phoenix (female)”
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Structure
几 + 皇
Enclosing structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分（IDS ⿵几皇，已对照 hanzi-writer-data 十一笔笔画核验：几 2 笔 + 皇 9 笔）
Memory aid
The 几 spreads over like a sheltering wing, and under it stands 皇, the sovereign. Picture the phoenix queen resting beneath her own wing.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 凤凰fèng huángphoenix (the Chinese mythical bird)凰 = huáng
Go deeper
All readings
phoenix (female)
phoenix (the Chinese mythical bird); originally the female phoenix, used mainly in 凤凰
传说中的百鸟之王，雄的叫凤，雌的叫凰。现代多用于「凤凰」一词。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 凤凰fèng huángphoenix (the Chinese mythical bird)凰 = huáng
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 凰 mean?
凰 (huáng) means phoenix (the Chinese mythical bird); originally the female phoenix, used mainly in 凤凰.
How do you pronounce 凰?
It is pronounced huáng.
What parts is 凰 made of?
几 (small table; how many) and 皇 (emperor; sovereign), one enclosing the other. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分（IDS ⿵几皇，已对照 hanzi-writer-data 十一笔笔画核验：几 2 笔 + 皇 9 笔）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 凰 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 凰?
几. 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 凰?
Common ones are 凤凰. The reading of 凰 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.