祥 (xiáng) is a Chinese character meaning “auspicious”. It is written from 礻 (spirit / altar (radical form of 示)) and 羊 (sheep; goat), side by side, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “auspicious”
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Structure
礻 + 羊
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字·示部：祥，福也。从示羊聲。现代字形按 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（礻4 + 羊6 = 10 笔）
Memory aid
A sheep (羊) is brought to the altar (礻) with hopes for good luck — that hope is 祥, "auspicious". The sheep also hints at the sound: yáng → xiáng.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 吉祥jí xiángauspicious; lucky祥 = xiáng
- 慈祥cí xiángkindly; benevolent (of an elderly person)祥 = xiáng
Go deeper
All readings
auspicious
auspicious; lucky; propitious; kindly
吉利；幸福的征兆。也形容态度和善。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 吉祥jí xiángauspicious; lucky祥 = xiáng
- 慈祥cí xiángkindly; benevolent (of an elderly person)祥 = xiáng
Sound component
羊 family onset shift
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 祥 mean?
祥 (xiáng) means auspicious; lucky; propitious; kindly.
How do you pronounce 祥?
It is pronounced xiáng.
What parts is 祥 made of?
礻 (spirit / altar (radical form of 示)) and 羊 (sheep; goat), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字·示部：祥，福也。从示羊聲。现代字形按 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（礻4 + 羊6 = 10 笔）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 祥 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 祥?
示. 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 祥?
Common ones are 吉祥 and 慈祥. The reading of 祥 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.