昂 (áng) is a Chinese character meaning “to raise (the head)”. It is written from 日 (sun; day) and 卬 (raised head; (archaic) I, me), one above the other, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “to hold high; soaring”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
日 + 卬
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：日 4 画 + 卬 4 画 = 8 画）；声符依据《说文解字》「昂：从日卬聲」
Memory aid
The sun (日) riding above a figure with its head thrown back (卬). Everything in this character points upward — chin up, spirits up, prices up. Both parts are really in this character.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 昂贵áng guìexpensive; costly昂 = áng
- 轩昂xuān ángdignified and imposing; in high spirits昂 = áng
Go deeper
All readings
to hold high; soaring
to raise (the head); high; soaring; high-spirited
抬起头；高高地向上。引申指价格高或情绪高涨。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 昂贵áng guìexpensive; costly昂 = áng
- 轩昂xuān ángdignified and imposing; in high spirits昂 = áng
Sound component
卬 family exact
Easy to confuse with
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 昂 mean?
昂 (áng) means to raise (the head); high; soaring; high-spirited.
How do you pronounce 昂?
It is pronounced áng.
What parts is 昂 made of?
日 (sun; day) and 卬 (raised head; (archaic) I, me), one above the other. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：日 4 画 + 卬 4 画 = 8 画）；声符依据《说文解字》「昂：从日卬聲」. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 昂 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 昂?
日. 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 昂?
Common ones are 昂贵 and 轩昂. The reading of 昂 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.