弄 (nòng) is a Chinese character meaning “to handle”. It is written from 王 (king) and 廾 (two hands raised together), one above the other, and takes 7 strokes. It has a second reading, lòng, which turns up in 弄堂 — here the two readings are two separate things to learn, not one card with two answers.
Build the character for “to handle; to do”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
王 + 廾
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 说文解字·廾部：弄，玩也。从廾持玉（今形上部作王）
Memory aid
Two hands held up (廾) underneath a piece of jade (王) — you are turning it over, handling it, playing with it.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 弄错nòng cuòto get it wrong; to make a mistake弄 = nòng
- 弄清nòng qīngto make clear; to figure out弄 = nòng
Go deeper
All readings
to handle; to do
to handle; to do; to fiddle with; to manage to get something done
做；干；摆弄。也表示设法把某事办成。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 弄错nòng cuòto get it wrong; to make a mistake弄 = nòng
- 弄清nòng qīngto make clear; to figure out弄 = nòng
alley
alley; lane (chiefly in Shanghai and the lower Yangtze region)
小巷；胡同，多见于上海一带。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 弄堂lòng tángalley; lane (in Shanghai and the lower Yangtze region)弄 = lòng
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 弄 mean?
弄 (nòng) means to handle; to do; to fiddle with; to manage to get something done.
How do you pronounce 弄?
Its main reading is nòng. It also has a second reading, lòng, which only shows up in certain words such as 弄堂 — so the word tells you the reading, not the character on its own.
Why is 弄 sometimes pronounced lòng?
Because it is a multi-reading character: each reading carries a different sense, and the word decides which one applies. In 弄堂 it is read lòng.
What parts is 弄 made of?
王 (king) and 廾 (two hands raised together), one above the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字·廾部：弄，玩也。从廾持玉（今形上部作王）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 弄 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 弄?
廾. 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 弄?
Common ones are 弄错 and 弄清. The reading of 弄 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.