称 (chēng) is a Chinese character meaning “to call”. It is written from 禾 (grain; standing grain) and 尔 (you (literary); the right-hand part of 你), side by side, and takes 10 strokes. It has a second reading, chèn, which turns up in 对称 — here the two readings are two separate things to learn, not one card with two answers.
Build the character for “to call; to weigh”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
禾 + 尔
Left–right structure
Structure from: IDS 现代字形拆分 ⿰禾尔，并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：全字 10 笔，笔画 0–4 为「禾」（5 笔），笔画 5–9 为「尔」（5 笔）
Memory aid
Grain (禾) goes on the scale, and you (尔) read out its weight — to weigh something, and to call it by name.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 名称míng chēngname (of a thing or organization)称 = chēng
- 称赞chēng zànto praise称 = chēng
Go deeper
All readings
to call; to weigh
to call; to name; to state; to praise; to weigh
叫；称作；说出；称赞。也指用秤量轻重。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 名称míng chēngname (of a thing or organization)称 = chēng
- 称赞chēng zànto praise称 = chēng
to fit; to match
to fit; to match; to suit
适合；相当；配得上。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 对称duì chènsymmetrical; symmetry称 = chèn
Rare readings, not taught: chèng
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 称 mean?
称 (chēng) means to call; to name; to state; to praise; to weigh.
How do you pronounce 称?
Its main reading is chēng. It also has a second reading, chèn, which only shows up in certain words such as 对称 — so the word tells you the reading, not the character on its own.
Why is 称 sometimes pronounced chèn?
Because it is a multi-reading character: each reading carries a different sense, and the word decides which one applies. In 对称 it is read chèn.
What parts is 称 made of?
禾 (grain; standing grain) and 尔 (you (literary); the right-hand part of 你), side by side. The recorded source is: IDS 现代字形拆分 ⿰禾尔，并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：全字 10 笔，笔画 0–4 为「禾」（5 笔），笔画 5–9 为「尔」（5 笔）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 称 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 称?
禾. 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 称?
Common ones are 名称 and 称赞. The reading of 称 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.