行 (xíng) is a Chinese character meaning “to walk”. It is written from 彳 (a short step; the “double-person” left side) and 亍 (a small step; the right half of 行), side by side, and takes 6 strokes. It has a second reading, háng, which turns up in 银行 — here the two readings are two separate things to learn, not one card with two answers.
Build the character for “to walk; to go”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
彳 + 亍
Left–right structure
- 彳 a short step; the “double-person” left side · chì meaning
- 亍 a small step; the right half of 行 · chù meaning
Structure from: modern-form decomposition, verified against hanzi-writer-data stroke data (彳 3 + 亍 3 = 行 6)
Memory aid
彳 is a step taken with the left foot, 亍 a step taken with the right. Stand them side by side and you are walking: 行.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
6 strokes
In real words
- 行动xíng dòngaction; to take action; to move about行 = xíng
- 行人xíng rénpedestrian; a person walking on the road行 = xíng
- 执行zhí xíngto carry out; to execute (a plan, an order)行 = xíng
- 爬行pá xíngto crawl; to creep行 = xíng
- 行李xíng liluggage; baggage行 = xíng
- 举行jǔ xíngto hold (a meeting, ceremony, etc.)行 = xíng
- 并行不悖bìng xíng bú bèito run in parallel without conflict行 = xíng
- 旅行lǚ xíngto travel; a journey行 = xíng
- 行驶xíng shǐ(of a vehicle) to travel; to run; to be under way行 = xíng
Go deeper
All readings
to walk; to go
to walk; to go; to travel; to carry out; to be all right, to be OK
走；从事某种活动；表示可以、能够。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 行动xíng dòngaction; to take action; to move about行 = xíng
- 行人xíng rénpedestrian; a person walking on the road行 = xíng
- 执行zhí xíngto carry out; to execute (a plan, an order)行 = xíng
- 爬行pá xíngto crawl; to creep行 = xíng
- 行李xíng liluggage; baggage行 = xíng
- 举行jǔ xíngto hold (a meeting, ceremony, etc.)行 = xíng
- 并行不悖bìng xíng bú bèito run in parallel without conflict行 = xíng
- 旅行lǚ xíngto travel; a journey行 = xíng
- 行驶xíng shǐ(of a vehicle) to travel; to run; to be under way行 = xíng
a row; a trade or firm
a row; a line; a trade or profession; a business firm
排成的一列；行业；营业机构。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 银行yín hángbank (financial institution)行 = háng
Easy to confuse with
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 行 mean?
行 (xíng) means to walk; to go; to travel; to carry out; to be all right, to be OK.
How do you pronounce 行?
Its main reading is xíng. It also has a second reading, háng, which only shows up in certain words such as 银行 — so the word tells you the reading, not the character on its own.
Why is 行 sometimes pronounced háng?
Because it is a multi-reading character: each reading carries a different sense, and the word decides which one applies. In 银行 it is read háng.
What parts is 行 made of?
彳 (a short step; the “double-person” left side) and 亍 (a small step; the right half of 行), side by side. The recorded source is: modern-form decomposition, verified against hanzi-writer-data stroke data (彳 3 + 亍 3 = 行 6). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 行 have?
6. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 行?
行. 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 行?
Common ones are 行动 and 行人. The reading of 行 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.