娘 (niáng) is a Chinese character meaning “mother (colloquial)”. It is written from 女 (woman; female) and 良 (good; fine (often the sound part in compounds)), side by side, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “young woman; mother”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
女 + 良
Left–right structure
Structure from: 《广韵》阳韵：娘，少女之號，女良切（形声：从女，良声；hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：10 笔 = 左旁「女」3 笔 + 右侧「良」7 笔）
Memory aid
A woman (女) beside 良 (good, fine): a fine young woman — 姑娘 — or the mother in 爹娘, mom and dad. 良 also hints at the sound: liáng → niáng.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 姑娘gū niánggirl; young woman娘 = niángspoken asgū niang
- 爹娘diē niángfather and mother; parents (colloquial)娘 = niáng
Go deeper
All readings
mother; young woman
mother (colloquial); a young woman, as in 姑娘; a form of address for an older married woman
母亲（口语）；也指年轻女子，如「姑娘」；还用来称呼长一辈或年长的已婚妇女。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 姑娘gū niánggirl; young woman娘 = niángspoken asgū niang
- 爹娘diē niángfather and mother; parents (colloquial)娘 = niáng
Sound component
良 family onset shift
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 娘 mean?
娘 (niáng) means mother (colloquial); a young woman, as in 姑娘; a form of address for an older married woman.
How do you pronounce 娘?
It is pronounced niáng.
What parts is 娘 made of?
女 (woman; female) and 良 (good; fine (often the sound part in compounds)), side by side. The recorded source is: 《广韵》阳韵：娘，少女之號，女良切（形声：从女，良声；hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：10 笔 = 左旁「女」3 笔 + 右侧「良」7 笔）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 娘 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 娘?
女. 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 娘?
Common ones are 姑娘 and 爹娘. The reading of 娘 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.