唐 (táng) is a Chinese character meaning “the Tang dynasty (618–907)”. It is written from 广 (wide; dotted cliff radical) and 肀 (brush-holding hand (top of 聿)) and 口 (mouth), one enclosing the other, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “Tang (dynasty)”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
广 + 肀 + 口
Enclosing structure
- 广 wide; dotted cliff radical · guǎng unknown
- 肀 brush-holding hand (top of 聿) · yù unknown
- 口 mouth · kǒu unknown
Structure from: 现代简化字形拆分（hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：0-2 广 / 3-6 肀 / 7-9 口）
Memory aid
Under a wide roof (广), a hand holding a brush (肀) writes above a talking mouth (口) — picture the scholars of the Tang court, writing and speaking big.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 唐朝táng cháothe Tang dynasty (618–907)唐 = táng
- 荒唐huāng tángabsurd; preposterous唐 = táng
Go deeper
All readings
Tang (dynasty); boastful
the Tang dynasty (618–907); a surname; exaggerated, boastful (as in 荒唐)
朝代名，唐朝；姓。也有言语夸大、不合情理的意思，如「荒唐」。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 唐朝táng cháothe Tang dynasty (618–907)唐 = táng
- 荒唐huāng tángabsurd; preposterous唐 = táng
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 唐 mean?
唐 (táng) means the Tang dynasty (618–907); a surname; exaggerated, boastful (as in 荒唐).
How do you pronounce 唐?
It is pronounced táng.
What parts is 唐 made of?
广 (wide; dotted cliff radical) and 肀 (brush-holding hand (top of 聿)) and 口 (mouth), one enclosing the other. The recorded source is: 现代简化字形拆分（hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：0-2 广 / 3-6 肀 / 7-9 口）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 唐 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 唐?
口. 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 唐?
Common ones are 唐朝 and 荒唐. The reading of 唐 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.