夯 (hāng) is a Chinese character meaning “a rammer or tamper used to pound earth solid”. It is written from 大 (big) and 力 (strength; power), one above the other, and takes 5 strokes.
Build the character for “rammer; to tamp earth solid”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
大 + 力
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: IDS ⿱大力（现代字形拆分，已对照 hanzi-writer-data 5 笔核验：大 3 笔 + 力 2 笔）
Memory aid
Big (大) pressing down on strength (力): a heavy weight dropped with force to pound loose earth flat. That is exactly what a rammer does.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
5 strokes
In real words
- 夯实hāng shíto tamp solid; to make (a foundation) firm夯 = hāng
- 打夯dǎ hāngto tamp earth with a rammer夯 = hāng
Go deeper
All readings
rammer; to tamp
a rammer or tamper used to pound earth solid; to tamp down, to ram; figuratively, to make a foundation solid
砸实地基用的工具；也指用力砸实。引申为把基础打得扎实。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 夯实hāng shíto tamp solid; to make (a foundation) firm夯 = hāng
- 打夯dǎ hāngto tamp earth with a rammer夯 = hāng
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 夯 mean?
夯 (hāng) means a rammer or tamper used to pound earth solid; to tamp down, to ram; figuratively, to make a foundation solid.
How do you pronounce 夯?
It is pronounced hāng.
What parts is 夯 made of?
大 (big) and 力 (strength; power), one above the other. The recorded source is: IDS ⿱大力（现代字形拆分，已对照 hanzi-writer-data 5 笔核验：大 3 笔 + 力 2 笔）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 夯 have?
5. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 夯?
大. 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 夯?
Common ones are 夯实 and 打夯. The reading of 夯 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.