宗 (zōng) is a Chinese character meaning “ancestor”. It is written from 宀 (roof) and 示 (altar; to show, to indicate), one above the other, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “ancestor; clan”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
宀 + 示
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 说文解字：宗，尊祖廟也。从宀从示
Memory aid
A roof (宀) built over an altar (示). Both parts are really in this character: the family shrine kept under one roof — the clan, the 宗.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 宗教zōng jiàoreligion宗 = zōng
- 正宗zhèng zōngauthentic; orthodox宗 = zōng
- 宗祠zōng cíclan ancestral hall宗 = zōng
Go deeper
All readings
ancestor; clan; school of thought
ancestor; ancestral clan; a school or sect; the main purpose of something
祖先；同一家族；学术或信仰上的派别。也指主要的目的。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 宗教zōng jiàoreligion宗 = zōng
- 正宗zhèng zōngauthentic; orthodox宗 = zōng
- 宗祠zōng cíclan ancestral hall宗 = zōng
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 宗 mean?
宗 (zōng) means ancestor; ancestral clan; a school or sect; the main purpose of something.
How do you pronounce 宗?
It is pronounced zōng.
What parts is 宗 made of?
宀 (roof) and 示 (altar; to show, to indicate), one above the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字：宗，尊祖廟也。从宀从示. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 宗 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 宗?
宀. 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 宗?
Common ones are 宗教 and 正宗. The reading of 宗 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.