忘 (wàng) is a Chinese character meaning “to forget”. It is written from 亡 (to perish; to lose) and 心 (heart; mind), one above the other, and takes 7 strokes.
Build the character for “to forget”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
亡 + 心
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 说文解字·心部: 忘，不識也。从心从亡，亡亦聲。
Memory aid
亡 (to be lost) sits on top of 心 (heart): something has gone missing from your heart — you forgot it.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 忘记wàng jìto forget忘 = wàngHSK 3
- 难忘nán wàngunforgettable忘 = wàngHSK 4
Go deeper
All readings
to forget
to forget; to overlook; to neglect
不记得；没有把事情放在心上。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 忘记wàng jìto forget忘 = wàngHSK 3
- 难忘nán wàngunforgettable忘 = wàngHSK 4
Sound component
亡 family tone diff
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 忘 mean?
忘 (wàng) means to forget; to overlook; to neglect.
How do you pronounce 忘?
It is pronounced wàng.
What parts is 忘 made of?
亡 (to perish; to lose) and 心 (heart; mind), one above the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字·心部: 忘，不識也。从心从亡，亡亦聲。. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 忘 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 忘?
心. 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 忘?
Common ones are 忘记 and 难忘. The reading of 忘 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.