惊 (jīng) is a Chinese character meaning “to be startled”. It is written from 忄 (heart (left-side form)) and 京 (capital city), side by side, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “startled”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
忄 + 京
Left–right structure
Structure from: IDS (cjkvi-ids: ⿰忄京; makemeahanzi decomposition ⿰忄京), checked against hanzi-writer-data strokes 0–2 / 3–10
Memory aid
Your heart (忄) jumps the first time you step into the huge capital city (京) — you are startled and amazed.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 吃惊chī jīngto be startled; to be surprised惊 = jīng
- 惊讶jīng yàsurprised; astonished惊 = jīng
- 惊吓jīng xiàa fright; to be startled惊 = jīng
- 惊魂甫定jīng hún fǔ dìngto have only just calmed down after a fright惊 = jīng
- 惊骇jīng hàishocked; terrified惊 = jīng
Go deeper
All readings
startled
to be startled; to be frightened; to surprise; to alarm
因突然的刺激而精神紧张、害怕或感到意外；也指使人受惊。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 吃惊chī jīngto be startled; to be surprised惊 = jīng
- 惊讶jīng yàsurprised; astonished惊 = jīng
- 惊吓jīng xiàa fright; to be startled惊 = jīng
- 惊魂甫定jīng hún fǔ dìngto have only just calmed down after a fright惊 = jīng
- 惊骇jīng hàishocked; terrified惊 = jīng
Sound component
京 family exact
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 惊 mean?
惊 (jīng) means to be startled; to be frightened; to surprise; to alarm.
How do you pronounce 惊?
It is pronounced jīng.
What parts is 惊 made of?
忄 (heart (left-side form)) and 京 (capital city), side by side. The recorded source is: IDS (cjkvi-ids: ⿰忄京; makemeahanzi decomposition ⿰忄京), checked against hanzi-writer-data strokes 0–2 / 3–10. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 惊 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 惊?
忄. 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 惊?
Common ones are 吃惊 and 惊讶. The reading of 惊 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.