央 (yāng) is a Chinese character meaning “centre”. It is written from 冂 (down box) and 大 (big), and takes 5 strokes.
Build the character for “centre”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
冂 + 大
Overlapping structure
Structure from: IDS 现代字形拆分（⿻冂大），已对照 hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 笔画核验：第 1–2 笔为冂（竖 + 横折），第 3–5 笔为大（横、撇、捺）
Memory aid
A big figure (大) standing under a hood (冂), planted right in the middle of it — arms out, dead centre. That is the centre.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
5 strokes
In real words
- 中央zhōng yāngcentre; central authorities央 = yāng
- 央求yāng qiúto beg; to plead with someone央 = yāng
Go deeper
All readings
centre
centre; middle; to beg; to entreat
中心；正中间。也表示恳求、请求。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 中央zhōng yāngcentre; central authorities央 = yāng
- 央求yāng qiúto beg; to plead with someone央 = yāng
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 央 mean?
央 (yāng) means centre; middle; to beg; to entreat.
How do you pronounce 央?
It is pronounced yāng.
What parts is 央 made of?
冂 (down box) and 大 (big). The recorded source is: IDS 现代字形拆分（⿻冂大），已对照 hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 笔画核验：第 1–2 笔为冂（竖 + 横折），第 3–5 笔为大（横、撇、捺）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 央 have?
5. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 央?
大. 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 央?
Common ones are 中央 and 央求. The reading of 央 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.