郑 (zhèng) is a Chinese character meaning “a common Chinese surname”. It is written from 关 (to close; to shut; a pass or barrier) and 阝 (left form: mound (阜); right form: city or settlement (邑)), side by side, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “Zheng (surname / place)”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
关 + 阝
Left–right structure
- 关 to close; to shut; a pass or barrier · guān simplified form
- 阝 left form: mound (阜); right form: city or settlement (邑) · fù meaning
Structure from: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：关 6 画 + 阝 2 画 = 8 画）
Memory aid
A gate or pass (关) standing beside a city wall (阝) — the old walled state of Zheng, and the family name that came out of it.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 郑州Zhèng zhōuZhengzhou (capital of Henan Province)郑 = zhèng
- 郑重zhèng zhòngsolemn; serious; earnest郑 = zhèng
Go deeper
All readings
Zheng (surname); state of Zheng
a common Chinese surname; the ancient state of Zheng; (in 郑重) solemn, serious
姓氏；周代诸侯国名，在今河南一带；也用于「郑重」，表示严肃认真。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 郑州Zhèng zhōuZhengzhou (capital of Henan Province)郑 = zhèng
- 郑重zhèng zhòngsolemn; serious; earnest郑 = zhèng
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 郑 mean?
郑 (zhèng) means a common Chinese surname; the ancient state of Zheng; (in 郑重) solemn, serious.
How do you pronounce 郑?
It is pronounced zhèng.
What parts is 郑 made of?
关 (to close; to shut; a pass or barrier) and 阝 (left form: mound (阜); right form: city or settlement (邑)), side by side. The recorded source is: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：关 6 画 + 阝 2 画 = 8 画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 郑 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 郑?
邑. 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 郑?
Common ones are 郑州 and 郑重. The reading of 郑 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.