丧 (sāng) is a Chinese character meaning “mourning”. It is written from 十 (ten) and 丷 (two spreading strokes) and 𧘇 (lower part of 衣 (flowing robe strokes)), and takes 8 strokes. It has a second reading, sàng, which turns up in 沮丧 — here the two readings are two separate things to learn, not one card with two answers.
Build the character for “mourning; funeral”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
十 + 丷 + 𧘇
Top–middle–bottom structure
- 十 ten · shí unknown
- 丷 two spreading strokes unknown
- 𧘇 lower part of 衣 (flowing robe strokes) unknown
Structure from: Unicode U+4E27; modern decomposition candidate checked against hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 stroke geometry (strokes 1-2 match 十, strokes 3-4 match 丷, strokes 5-8 match the lower part of 衣)
Memory aid
A cross (十) standing at the top, two small marks (丷) falling beside it like tears, and the trailing hem of a robe (𧘇) below — the clothes worn in mourning.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 丧事sāng shìfuneral arrangements; a death in the family丧 = sāng
- 丧礼sāng lǐfuneral rites丧 = sāng
Go deeper
All readings
mourning; funeral
mourning; a funeral; matters connected with a death
人死亡后办理的殡葬等事；与哀悼有关的。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 丧事sāng shìfuneral arrangements; a death in the family丧 = sāng
- 丧礼sāng lǐfuneral rites丧 = sāng
to lose
to lose (something abstract, e.g. hope, confidence, a life); to be dejected
失去（多指抽象的事物）；情绪低落。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 沮丧jǔ sàngdejected; depressed; disheartened丧 = sàng
- 丧失sàng shīto lose; to forfeit丧 = sàng
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 丧 mean?
丧 (sāng) means mourning; a funeral; matters connected with a death.
How do you pronounce 丧?
Its main reading is sāng. It also has a second reading, sàng, which only shows up in certain words such as 沮丧 — so the word tells you the reading, not the character on its own.
Why is 丧 sometimes pronounced sàng?
Because it is a multi-reading character: each reading carries a different sense, and the word decides which one applies. In 沮丧 it is read sàng.
What parts is 丧 made of?
十 (ten) and 丷 (two spreading strokes) and 𧘇 (lower part of 衣 (flowing robe strokes)). The recorded source is: Unicode U+4E27; modern decomposition candidate checked against hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 stroke geometry (strokes 1-2 match 十, strokes 3-4 match 丷, strokes 5-8 match the lower part of 衣). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 丧 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 丧?
十. 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 丧?
Common ones are 丧事 and 丧礼. The reading of 丧 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.