权 (quán) is a Chinese character meaning “power”. It is written from 木 (tree; wood) and 又 (again), side by side, and takes 6 strokes.
Build the character for “power; authority”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
木 + 又
Left–right structure
Structure from: modern-form-decomposition (IDS ⿰木又，笔画数按 hanzi-writer-data 核验：木 4 + 又 2 = 6)
Memory aid
A hand (又) laid on the timber (木): whoever's hand is on the beam decides where it goes — that is power.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
6 strokes
In real words
- 权力quán lìpower; authority权 = quán
- 人权rén quánhuman rights权 = quán
Go deeper
All readings
power; right
power; authority; a right one is entitled to
权力；权利。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 权力quán lìpower; authority权 = quán
- 人权rén quánhuman rights权 = quán
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 权 mean?
权 (quán) means power; authority; a right one is entitled to.
How do you pronounce 权?
It is pronounced quán.
What parts is 权 made of?
木 (tree; wood) and 又 (again), side by side. The recorded source is: modern-form-decomposition (IDS ⿰木又，笔画数按 hanzi-writer-data 核验：木 4 + 又 2 = 6). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 权 have?
6. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 权?
木. 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 权?
Common ones are 权力 and 人权. The reading of 权 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.