冻 (dòng) is a Chinese character meaning “to freeze”. It is written from 冫 (ice; two dots of ice) and 东 (east), side by side, and takes 7 strokes.
Build the character for “to freeze”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
冫 + 东
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分（IDS ⿰冫东，已对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：左「冫」2 笔 + 右「东」5 笔 = 7 笔）；非字源解释
Memory aid
Ice (冫) creeping in from the east (东) — everything it touches freezes. 东 is here for its sound, dōng, which is one tone away from dòng.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 冰冻bīng dòngto freeze; frozen冻 = dòng
- 冻结dòng jiéto freeze (liquid, or funds and plans)冻 = dòng
- 冻疮dòng chuāngchilblain; frostbite sore冻 = dòng
Go deeper
All readings
to freeze
to freeze; to be frozen; to feel bitterly cold
液体遇冷凝固；也指人感到极冷。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 冰冻bīng dòngto freeze; frozen冻 = dòng
- 冻结dòng jiéto freeze (liquid, or funds and plans)冻 = dòng
- 冻疮dòng chuāngchilblain; frostbite sore冻 = dòng
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 冻 mean?
冻 (dòng) means to freeze; to be frozen; to feel bitterly cold.
How do you pronounce 冻?
It is pronounced dòng.
What parts is 冻 made of?
冫 (ice; two dots of ice) and 东 (east), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分（IDS ⿰冫东，已对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：左「冫」2 笔 + 右「东」5 笔 = 7 笔）；非字源解释. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 冻 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 冻?
冫. 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 冻?
Common ones are 冰冻 and 冻结. The reading of 冻 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.