忠 (zhōng) is a Chinese character meaning “loyal”. It is written from 中 (middle; center) and 心 (heart; mind), one above the other, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “loyal”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
中 + 心
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 说文解字: 忠，敬也。从心中聲
Memory aid
A heart (心) with a center mark (中) planted straight through it. Both parts are really in this character: a heart that stays centred on someone is a loyal heart.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 忠诚zhōng chéngloyal; faithful忠 = zhōng
- 忠贞zhōng zhēnloyal and steadfast忠 = zhōng
Go deeper
All readings
loyal
loyal; devoted; faithful to a person, cause or duty
尽心竭力、对人对事真心不二。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 忠诚zhōng chéngloyal; faithful忠 = zhōng
- 忠贞zhōng zhēnloyal and steadfast忠 = zhōng
Sound component
中 family exact
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 忠 mean?
忠 (zhōng) means loyal; devoted; faithful to a person, cause or duty.
How do you pronounce 忠?
It is pronounced zhōng.
What parts is 忠 made of?
中 (middle; center) and 心 (heart; mind), one above the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字: 忠，敬也。从心中聲. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 忠 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 忠?
心. 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 忠?
Common ones are 忠诚 and 忠贞. The reading of 忠 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.