标 (biāo) is a Chinese character meaning “mark”. It is written from 木 (tree; wood) and 示 (altar; to show, to indicate), side by side, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “mark; sign”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
木 + 示
Left–right structure
Structure from: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画：木 4 画 + 示 5 画 = 9 画）
Memory aid
A tree (木) with a notice (示) shown next to it — the mark that tells you which tree is the one you want.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 目标mù biāogoal; target; objective标 = biāoHSK 4
- 标志biāo zhìsign; mark; symbol标 = biāoHSK 5
- 标准biāo zhǔnstandard; criterion标 = biāo
Go deeper
All readings
mark
mark; sign; label; standard
记号、标志；也指衡量事物的准则。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 目标mù biāogoal; target; objective标 = biāoHSK 4
- 标志biāo zhìsign; mark; symbol标 = biāoHSK 5
- 标准biāo zhǔnstandard; criterion标 = biāo
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 标 mean?
标 (biāo) means mark; sign; label; standard.
How do you pronounce 标?
It is pronounced biāo.
What parts is 标 made of?
木 (tree; wood) and 示 (altar; to show, to indicate), side by side. The recorded source is: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画：木 4 画 + 示 5 画 = 9 画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 标 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 标?
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 标?
Common ones are 目标 and 标志. The reading of 标 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.