重 (zhòng) is a Chinese character meaning “heavy”. It is written from 𠂉 (top stroke form) and 里 (inside; li (unit of distance)), one above the other, and takes 9 strokes. It has a second reading, chóng, which turns up in 重新 — here the two readings are two separate things to learn, not one card with two answers.
Build the character for “heavy; weighty”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
𠂉 + 里
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 现代字形笔画核验（上两笔 𠂉 + 下七笔 里，里的长竖向上穿过长横）
Memory aid
𠂉 — two flat strokes — lies across the top of 里, a village, and presses down on it. The whole village is carrying that load: 重, heavy.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 重要zhòng yàoimportant; significant; major重 = zhòng
- 郑重zhèng zhòngsolemn; serious; earnest重 = zhòng
- 笨重bèn zhòngheavy and cumbersome; unwieldy重 = zhòng
- 隆重lóng zhònggrand; solemn; ceremonious重 = zhòng
Go deeper
All readings
heavy; weighty
heavy; weight; serious; important; to value highly
分量大；重量；程度深、要紧；看得起、重视。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 重要zhòng yàoimportant; significant; major重 = zhòng
- 郑重zhèng zhòngsolemn; serious; earnest重 = zhòng
- 笨重bèn zhòngheavy and cumbersome; unwieldy重 = zhòng
- 隆重lóng zhònggrand; solemn; ceremonious重 = zhòng
again; to repeat
again; once more; to repeat; a layer (as in layers of hills)
再一次；重复；量词，表示层。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 重新chóng xīnagain; anew; afresh; to redo from the start重 = chóng
- 重逢chóng féngto meet again; reunion重 = chóng
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 重 mean?
重 (zhòng) means heavy; weight; serious; important; to value highly.
How do you pronounce 重?
Its main reading is zhòng. It also has a second reading, chóng, which only shows up in certain words such as 重新 — so the word tells you the reading, not the character on its own.
Why is 重 sometimes pronounced chóng?
Because it is a multi-reading character: each reading carries a different sense, and the word decides which one applies. In 重新 it is read chóng.
What parts is 重 made of?
𠂉 (top stroke form) and 里 (inside; li (unit of distance)), one above the other. The recorded source is: hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 现代字形笔画核验（上两笔 𠂉 + 下七笔 里，里的长竖向上穿过长横）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 重 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 重?
里. 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 重?
Common ones are 重要 and 郑重. The reading of 重 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.