尝 (cháng) is a Chinese character meaning “to taste food in order to judge its flavour”. It is written from ⺌ (three short strokes fanning out at the top of a character) and 冖 (cover) and 云 (cloud), and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “to taste; to try”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
⺌ + 冖 + 云
Top–middle–bottom structure
- ⺌ three short strokes fanning out at the top of a character unknown
- 冖 cover · mì unknown
- 云 cloud · yún unknown
Structure from: 现代字形拆分，经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数据核验（⺌3画 + 冖2画 + 云4画 = 9画）
Memory aid
Steam fans up in three little wisps (⺌) from under a pot lid (冖), and above it hangs a cloud (云) of smell — you lean in and taste.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 尝试cháng shìto try; to attempt; an attempt尝 = cháng
- 品尝pǐn chángto taste; to savour尝 = cháng
Go deeper
All readings
to taste; to try
to taste food in order to judge its flavour; by extension, to try something out or experience it
用嘴辨别食物的滋味；引申为试着做、体验。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 尝试cháng shìto try; to attempt; an attempt尝 = cháng
- 品尝pǐn chángto taste; to savour尝 = cháng
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 尝 mean?
尝 (cháng) means to taste food in order to judge its flavour; by extension, to try something out or experience it.
How do you pronounce 尝?
It is pronounced cháng.
What parts is 尝 made of?
⺌ (three short strokes fanning out at the top of a character) and 冖 (cover) and 云 (cloud). The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分，经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数据核验（⺌3画 + 冖2画 + 云4画 = 9画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 尝 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 尝?
小. 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 尝?
Common ones are 尝试 and 品尝. The reading of 尝 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.