狰 (zhēng) is a Chinese character meaning “ferocious”. It is written from 犭 (dog / beast radical (side form of 犬)) and 争 (to contend; to fight for), side by side, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “ferocious”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
犭 + 争
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分 ⿰犭争（笔画分组据 hanzi-writer-data：犭 3 画 + 争 6 画 = 9 画）
Memory aid
The beast radical (犭) next to 争 "to fight over": an animal snarling over something it refuses to give up. Both parts are really written in this character, and 争 (zhēng) is also what tells you how to say it.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 狰狞zhēng níngferocious; hideous狰 = zhēng
Go deeper
All readings
ferocious
ferocious; fierce-looking — used in the word 狰狞 (zhēngníng), "hideous, savage-looking"
凶恶、可怕的样子，用于「狰狞」一词。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 狰狞zhēng níngferocious; hideous狰 = zhēng
Sound component
争 family exact
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 狰 mean?
狰 (zhēng) means ferocious; fierce-looking — used in the word 狰狞 (zhēngníng), "hideous, savage-looking".
How do you pronounce 狰?
It is pronounced zhēng.
What parts is 狰 made of?
犭 (dog / beast radical (side form of 犬)) and 争 (to contend; to fight for), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分 ⿰犭争（笔画分组据 hanzi-writer-data：犭 3 画 + 争 6 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 狰 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 狰?
犬. 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 狰?
Common ones are 狰狞. The reading of 狰 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.