样 (yàng) is a Chinese character meaning “appearance”. It is written from 木 (tree; wood) and 羊 (sheep; goat), side by side, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “appearance; kind”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
木 + 羊
Left–right structure
Structure from: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（笔画核验：木4 + 羊6 = 样10，与 hanzi-writer-data 一致）
Memory aid
A tree (木) next to a sheep (羊): picture a shepherd carving a wooden sheep as a model to copy — a pattern, a look. 羊 also hints at the sound: yáng → yàng.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 一样yí yàngthe same; alike; equally样 = yàng
- 这样zhè yànglike this; this way; such样 = yàng
- 样子yàng ziappearance; look; manner样 = yàng
- 咋样zǎ yànghow about it; how is it样 = yàng
- 怎样zěn yànghow; in what way; what is it like样 = yàng
Go deeper
All readings
appearance; kind; pattern
appearance; shape; manner; kind, type; sample, model
形状、模样；种类；作为标准的样品。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 一样yí yàngthe same; alike; equally样 = yàng
- 这样zhè yànglike this; this way; such样 = yàng
- 样子yàng ziappearance; look; manner样 = yàng
- 咋样zǎ yànghow about it; how is it样 = yàng
- 怎样zěn yànghow; in what way; what is it like样 = yàng
Sound component
羊 family tone diff
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 样 mean?
样 (yàng) means appearance; shape; manner; kind, type; sample, model.
How do you pronounce 样?
It is pronounced yàng.
What parts is 样 made of?
木 (tree; wood) and 羊 (sheep; goat), side by side. The recorded source is: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（笔画核验：木4 + 羊6 = 样10，与 hanzi-writer-data 一致）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 样 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 样?
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 样?
Common ones are 一样, 这样, 样子. The reading of 样 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.