扛 (káng) is a Chinese character meaning “to carry something on the shoulder”. It is written from 扌 (hand (radical form)) and 工 (work), side by side, and takes 6 strokes.
Build the character for “to carry on the shoulder”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
扌 + 工
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字：扛，横关对举也。从手工聲
Memory aid
A hand (扌) doing work (工): you put the load on your shoulder and haul it.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
6 strokes
In real words
- 扛住káng zhùto hold up under; to take the weight; to endure扛 = káng
Go deeper
All readings
to carry on the shoulder
to carry something on the shoulder; to shoulder; to bear (a burden or pressure)
用肩膀承担物体；引申为承受压力。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 扛住káng zhùto hold up under; to take the weight; to endure扛 = káng
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 扛 mean?
扛 (káng) means to carry something on the shoulder; to shoulder; to bear (a burden or pressure).
How do you pronounce 扛?
It is pronounced káng.
What parts is 扛 made of?
扌 (hand (radical form)) and 工 (work), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字：扛，横关对举也。从手工聲. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 扛 have?
6. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 扛?
手. 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 扛?
Common ones are 扛住. The reading of 扛 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.