总 (zǒng) is a Chinese character meaning “total”. It is written from 丷 (two spreading strokes) and 口 (mouth) and 心 (heart; mind), and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “always; total”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
丷 + 口 + 心
Top–middle–bottom structure
Structure from: modern glyph decomposition (IDS ⿳丷口心), stroke count verified against hanzi-writer-data (2+3+4=9)
Memory aid
Two strokes spread apart (丷) above a mouth (口) above a heart (心): one mouth speaks for every heart in the room — that is what it means to sum things up, and to be the one in charge of them all.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 总是zǒng shìalways总 = zǒngHSK 3
- 总共zǒng gòngaltogether; in total总 = zǒngHSK 4
- 总裁zǒng cáicompany president; CEO总 = zǒng
Go deeper
All readings
always; total
total; overall; chief; general; always; invariably
全部加在一起的；领导全体的。也表示一直如此、始终这样。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 总是zǒng shìalways总 = zǒngHSK 3
- 总共zǒng gòngaltogether; in total总 = zǒngHSK 4
- 总裁zǒng cáicompany president; CEO总 = zǒng
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 总 mean?
总 (zǒng) means total; overall; chief; general; always; invariably.
How do you pronounce 总?
It is pronounced zǒng.
What parts is 总 made of?
丷 (two spreading strokes) and 口 (mouth) and 心 (heart; mind). The recorded source is: modern glyph decomposition (IDS ⿳丷口心), stroke count verified against hanzi-writer-data (2+3+4=9). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 总 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 总?
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 总?
Common ones are 总是 and 总共. The reading of 总 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.