望 (wàng) is a Chinese character meaning “to look into the distance”. It is written from 亡 (to perish; to lose) and 月 (moon; month) and 王 (king), one above the other, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “to gaze; to hope”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
亡 + 月 + 王
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: IDS (cjkvi-ids ⿱⿰亡月王 [GJK]; makemeahanzi decomposition), modern form checked against hanzi-writer-data strokes
Memory aid
Something is lost (亡). Beside it the moon (月) rises, and below stands a king (王), gazing up at the moon and hoping what was lost will come back.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 希望xī wàngto hope; hope望 = wàng
- 盼望pàn wàngto look forward to; to long for望 = wàng
- 仰望yǎng wàngto look up at望 = wàng
- 欲望yù wàngdesire; longing望 = wàng
Go deeper
All readings
to gaze; to hope
to look into the distance; to gaze; to hope; to expect
向远处看；盼望，期待。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 希望xī wàngto hope; hope望 = wàng
- 盼望pàn wàngto look forward to; to long for望 = wàng
- 仰望yǎng wàngto look up at望 = wàng
- 欲望yù wàngdesire; longing望 = wàng
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 望 mean?
望 (wàng) means to look into the distance; to gaze; to hope; to expect.
How do you pronounce 望?
It is pronounced wàng.
What parts is 望 made of?
亡 (to perish; to lose) and 月 (moon; month) and 王 (king), one above the other. The recorded source is: IDS (cjkvi-ids ⿱⿰亡月王 [GJK]; makemeahanzi decomposition), modern form checked against hanzi-writer-data strokes. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 望 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 望?
月. 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 望?
Common ones are 希望, 盼望, 仰望, 欲望. The reading of 望 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.