更 (gèng) is a Chinese character meaning “even more”. It is written from 一 (one) and 日 (sun; day) and 乂 (crossing strokes), and takes 7 strokes. It has a second reading, gēng, which turns up in 更新 — here the two readings are two separate things to learn, not one card with two answers.
Build the character for “even more”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
一 + 日 + 乂
Overlapping structure
Structure from: Unicode U+66F4 and hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 modern glyph inspection (7 strokes: top 一; strokes 2-5 form 日; the final 撇 and 捺 cross through it as 乂)
Memory aid
One line (一) laid across the sun (日), and two strokes crossing right through it (乂): another day gets crossed off, and things are even better than before.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 更好gèng hǎobetter更 = gèngHSK 3
- 更加gèng jiāeven more; all the more更 = gèngHSK 4
- 更多gèng duōmore更 = gèngHSK 3
Go deeper
All readings
even more
even more; still more; further — placed before an adjective or verb
副词，表示程度加深或数量增加，相当于「还要」「愈加」。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 更好gèng hǎobetter更 = gèngHSK 3
- 更加gèng jiāeven more; all the more更 = gèngHSK 4
- 更多gèng duōmore更 = gèngHSK 3
to change; to replace
to change; to replace; to renew
改变；替换。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 更新gēng xīnto update; to renew更 = gēngHSK 4
- 更迭gēng diéto alternate; to replace one after another更 = gēng
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 更 mean?
更 (gèng) means even more; still more; further — placed before an adjective or verb.
How do you pronounce 更?
Its main reading is gèng. It also has a second reading, gēng, which only shows up in certain words such as 更新 — so the word tells you the reading, not the character on its own.
Why is 更 sometimes pronounced gēng?
Because it is a multi-reading character: each reading carries a different sense, and the word decides which one applies. In 更新 it is read gēng.
What parts is 更 made of?
一 (one) and 日 (sun; day) and 乂 (crossing strokes). The recorded source is: Unicode U+66F4 and hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 modern glyph inspection (7 strokes: top 一; strokes 2-5 form 日; the final 撇 and 捺 cross through it as 乂). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 更 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 更?
曰. 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 更?
Common ones are 更好, 更加, 更多. The reading of 更 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.