相 (xiāng) is a Chinese character meaning “each other”. It is written from 木 (tree; wood) and 目 (eye), side by side, and takes 9 strokes. It has a second reading, xiàng, which turns up in 照相 — here the two readings are two separate things to learn, not one card with two answers.
Build the character for “each other”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
木 + 目
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字「相，省視也。从目从木」; IDS ⿰木目 verified against hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 modern glyph strokes (0–3 木, 4–8 目)
Memory aid
A tree (木) and an eye (目), standing side by side and facing each other. Both parts are really in this character — 相 is about two things in relation to one another.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 互相hù xiāngmutually; each other相 = xiāng
- 相反xiāng fǎnopposite; contrary相 = xiāng
- 相信xiāng xìnto believe; to trust相 = xiāngHSK 2
- 相逢xiāng féngto meet (each other); to come across相 = xiāng
- 萍水相逢píng shuǐ xiāng féngto meet by chance, like duckweed drifting together on water相 = xiāng
Go deeper
All readings
each other
each other; mutually; one another
表示彼此对待，双方都这样做。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 互相hù xiāngmutually; each other相 = xiāng
- 相反xiāng fǎnopposite; contrary相 = xiāng
- 相信xiāng xìnto believe; to trust相 = xiāngHSK 2
- 相逢xiāng féngto meet (each other); to come across相 = xiāng
- 萍水相逢píng shuǐ xiāng féngto meet by chance, like duckweed drifting together on water相 = xiāng
appearance; photograph
appearance; looks; portrait; photograph
相貌、样子；也指拍下来的人像照片。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 照相zhào xiàngto take a photograph相 = xiàng
- 宰相zǎi xiàngprime minister (in imperial China)相 = xiàng
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 相 mean?
相 (xiāng) means each other; mutually; one another.
How do you pronounce 相?
Its main reading is xiāng. It also has a second reading, xiàng, which only shows up in certain words such as 照相 — so the word tells you the reading, not the character on its own.
Why is 相 sometimes pronounced xiàng?
Because it is a multi-reading character: each reading carries a different sense, and the word decides which one applies. In 照相 it is read xiàng.
What parts is 相 made of?
木 (tree; wood) and 目 (eye), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字「相，省視也。从目从木」; IDS ⿰木目 verified against hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 modern glyph strokes (0–3 木, 4–8 目). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 相 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 相?
目. 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 相?
Common ones are 互相 and 相反. The reading of 相 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.