从 (cóng) is a Chinese character meaning “from (a place or time)”. It is written from 人 (person) and 人 (person), side by side, and takes 4 strokes.
Build the character for “from; to follow”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
人 + 人
Left–right structure
Structure from: Unicode U+4ECE 与 hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 现代字形核验（左「人」2 笔 + 右「人」2 笔 = 4 笔）
Memory aid
Two people (人 人), one walking right behind the other. Both parts are really in this character: where the front one goes, the back one follows — and that is where you come from.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
4 strokes
In real words
- 从来cóng láialways; all along; (with a negative) never从 = cóng
- 从前cóng qiánformerly; in the past; once upon a time从 = cóng
- 从未cóng wèinever; never before从 = cóng
- 从此cóng cǐfrom now on; from then on从 = cóngHSK 4
Go deeper
All readings
from; to follow
from (a place or time); starting at; to follow someone; to obey
表示起点，从某个地方或时间开始；也表示跟随、听从。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 从来cóng láialways; all along; (with a negative) never从 = cóng
- 从前cóng qiánformerly; in the past; once upon a time从 = cóng
- 从未cóng wèinever; never before从 = cóng
- 从此cóng cǐfrom now on; from then on从 = cóngHSK 4
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 从 mean?
从 (cóng) means from (a place or time); starting at; to follow someone; to obey.
How do you pronounce 从?
It is pronounced cóng.
What parts is 从 made of?
人 (person) and 人 (person), side by side. The recorded source is: Unicode U+4ECE 与 hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 现代字形核验（左「人」2 笔 + 右「人」2 笔 = 4 笔）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 从 have?
4. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 从?
人. 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 从?
Common ones are 从来 and 从前. The reading of 从 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.