降 (jiàng) is a Chinese character meaning “to descend”. It is written from 阝 (left form: mound (阜); right form: city or settlement (邑)) and 夅 (phonetic element read jiàng; a foot 夂 above the part below it), side by side, and takes 8 strokes. It has a second reading, xiáng, which turns up in 投降 — here the two readings are two separate things to learn, not one card with two answers.
Build the character for “to descend”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
阝 + 夅
Left–right structure
- 阝 left form: mound (阜); right form: city or settlement (邑) · fù meaning
- 夅 phonetic element read jiàng; a foot 夂 above the part below it · jiàng sound
Structure from: 说文解字「降，下也。从阜夅聲」；IDS 拆分 ⿰阝夅，并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–1 为左耳旁「阝」，笔画 2–7 与「夅」逐笔对应（2+6=8画）
Memory aid
The left ear 阝 is a steep mound, and 夅 on the right is the foot 夂 coming down over what is below — walk down off the hill: descend.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 降落jiàng luòto land; to touch down降 = jiàng
- 下降xià jiàngto decline; to go down降 = jiàng
Go deeper
All readings
to descend
to descend; to come down; to land; to lower; to reduce
从高处往低处落下；也指把温度、价格、标准等调低。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 降落jiàng luòto land; to touch down降 = jiàng
- 下降xià jiàngto decline; to go down降 = jiàng
to surrender
to surrender; to capitulate
投降；向对方认输。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 投降tóu xiángto surrender降 = xiáng
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 降 mean?
降 (jiàng) means to descend; to come down; to land; to lower; to reduce.
How do you pronounce 降?
Its main reading is jiàng. It also has a second reading, xiáng, which only shows up in certain words such as 投降 — so the word tells you the reading, not the character on its own.
Why is 降 sometimes pronounced xiáng?
Because it is a multi-reading character: each reading carries a different sense, and the word decides which one applies. In 投降 it is read xiáng.
What parts is 降 made of?
阝 (left form: mound (阜); right form: city or settlement (邑)) and 夅 (phonetic element read jiàng; a foot 夂 above the part below it), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字「降，下也。从阜夅聲」；IDS 拆分 ⿰阝夅，并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–1 为左耳旁「阝」，笔画 2–7 与「夅」逐笔对应（2+6=8画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 降 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 降?
阜. 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 降?
Common ones are 降落 and 下降. The reading of 降 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.