胸 (xiōng) is a Chinese character meaning “chest”. It is written from 月 (moon; month) and 匈 (chest (old form of 胸)), side by side, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “chest”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
月 + 匈
Left–right structure
Structure from: hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（⿰月匈，4+6=10 笔）；说文解字：匈，膺也，从勹凶声；胷，匈或从肉
Memory aid
The body part 月 (flesh) next to 匈 (xiōng) — the part of your body that says xiōng: your chest.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 胸口xiōng kǒuchest; the pit of the stomach胸 = xiōng
- 胸部xiōng bùchest; thorax胸 = xiōng
- 捶胸顿足chuí xiōng dùn zúto beat one's chest and stamp one's feet (in grief or anger)胸 = xiōng
- 胸脯xiōng púchest; breast胸 = xiōng
Go deeper
All readings
chest
chest; bosom; heart, mind
躯干前面颈下腹上的部分；也指心里、胸怀。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 胸口xiōng kǒuchest; the pit of the stomach胸 = xiōng
- 胸部xiōng bùchest; thorax胸 = xiōng
- 捶胸顿足chuí xiōng dùn zúto beat one's chest and stamp one's feet (in grief or anger)胸 = xiōng
- 胸脯xiōng púchest; breast胸 = xiōng
Sound component
匈 family exact
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 胸 mean?
胸 (xiōng) means chest; bosom; heart, mind.
How do you pronounce 胸?
It is pronounced xiōng.
What parts is 胸 made of?
月 (moon; month) and 匈 (chest (old form of 胸)), side by side. The recorded source is: hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（⿰月匈，4+6=10 笔）；说文解字：匈，膺也，从勹凶声；胷，匈或从肉. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 胸 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 胸?
月. 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 胸?
Common ones are 胸口 and 胸部. The reading of 胸 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.