氢 (qīng) is a Chinese character meaning “hydrogen (chemical element H), the lightest gas”. It is written from 气 (air; gas; breath) and 圣 (sage; holy), one enclosing the other, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “hydrogen”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
气 + 圣
Enclosing structure
Structure from: IDS 现代字形拆分，已对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画顺序核验（气 4 画包裹，圣 5 画在内下方）
Memory aid
气 (gas) wraps itself around 圣 tucked underneath — the lightest gas in the universe, carrying something precious inside.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 氢气qīng qìhydrogen (gas)氢 = qīng
Go deeper
All readings
hydrogen
hydrogen (chemical element H), the lightest gas
气体元素，符号 H，是最轻的气体。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 氢气qīng qìhydrogen (gas)氢 = qīng
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 氢 mean?
氢 (qīng) means hydrogen (chemical element H), the lightest gas.
How do you pronounce 氢?
It is pronounced qīng.
What parts is 氢 made of?
气 (air; gas; breath) and 圣 (sage; holy), one enclosing the other. The recorded source is: IDS 现代字形拆分，已对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画顺序核验（气 4 画包裹，圣 5 画在内下方）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 氢 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 氢?
气. 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 氢?
Common ones are 氢气. The reading of 氢 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.