张 (zhāng) is a Chinese character meaning “to open out”. It is written from 弓 (bow) and 长 (long; to grow), side by side, and takes 7 strokes.
Build the character for “to stretch open”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
弓 + 长
Left–right structure
Structure from: 《说文解字》：張，施弓弦也。从弓長聲。现代字形以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–2 为「弓」（横折、横、竖折折钩），笔画 3–6 为「长」（撇、横、竖提、捺），共 7 笔
Memory aid
A bow 弓 on the left, and 长 "long" on the right — which also carries the sound (cháng/zhǎng → zhāng). Pull the bow until the string is long and taut: that stretching open is 张.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 紧张jǐn zhāngnervous; tense; in short supply张 = zhāng
- 扩张kuò zhāngto expand; to spread out; to dilate张 = zhāng
- 纸张zhǐ zhāngpaper (as a material or in sheets)张 = zhāng
Go deeper
All readings
to stretch open; sheet (measure word)
to open out; to stretch; to spread; measure word for flat things (paper, tables, beds); a common surname
把弓拉开，引申为展开、张开；也作量词，用于纸、桌子、床等平面的东西；又是常见姓氏。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 紧张jǐn zhāngnervous; tense; in short supply张 = zhāng
- 扩张kuò zhāngto expand; to spread out; to dilate张 = zhāng
- 纸张zhǐ zhāngpaper (as a material or in sheets)张 = zhāng
Sound component
长 family tone diff
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 张 mean?
张 (zhāng) means to open out; to stretch; to spread; measure word for flat things (paper, tables, beds); a common surname.
How do you pronounce 张?
It is pronounced zhāng.
What parts is 张 made of?
弓 (bow) and 长 (long; to grow), side by side. The recorded source is: 《说文解字》：張，施弓弦也。从弓長聲。现代字形以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–2 为「弓」（横折、横、竖折折钩），笔画 3–6 为「长」（撇、横、竖提、捺），共 7 笔. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 张 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 张?
弓. 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 张?
Common ones are 紧张 and 扩张. The reading of 张 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.