堂 (táng) is a Chinese character meaning “main hall”. It is written from 尚 (still; yet; to esteem) and 土 (earth; soil), one above the other, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “hall”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
尚 + 土
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 说文解字: 堂，殿也。从土尚声; hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 modern glyph stroke inspection (上部八笔 尚 + 下部三笔 土)
Memory aid
Something held in high esteem (尚) set on a raised earthen base (土): the grand main hall where important people gather.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 食堂shí tángcanteen; dining hall堂 = táng
- 课堂kè tángclassroom; class (as a setting for teaching)堂 = táng
- 祠堂cí tángancestral hall; clan temple堂 = táng
- 弄堂lòng tángalley; lane (in Shanghai and the lower Yangtze region)堂 = táng
- 庵堂ān tángBuddhist nunnery; small temple堂 = táng
Go deeper
All readings
hall
main hall; hall for a special purpose; related through the paternal grandfather (of cousins); measure word for classes
正房、大厅；专门用途的房屋；同祖父的亲属关系（如堂兄）；也用作课节的量词。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 食堂shí tángcanteen; dining hall堂 = táng
- 课堂kè tángclassroom; class (as a setting for teaching)堂 = táng
- 祠堂cí tángancestral hall; clan temple堂 = táng
- 弄堂lòng tángalley; lane (in Shanghai and the lower Yangtze region)堂 = táng
- 庵堂ān tángBuddhist nunnery; small temple堂 = táng
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 堂 mean?
堂 (táng) means main hall; hall for a special purpose; related through the paternal grandfather (of cousins); measure word for classes.
How do you pronounce 堂?
It is pronounced táng.
What parts is 堂 made of?
尚 (still; yet; to esteem) and 土 (earth; soil), one above the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字: 堂，殿也。从土尚声; hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 modern glyph stroke inspection (上部八笔 尚 + 下部三笔 土). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 堂 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 堂?
土. 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 堂?
Common ones are 食堂, 课堂, 祠堂, 弄堂. The reading of 堂 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.