朝 (cháo) is a Chinese character meaning “dynasty”. It is written from 𠦝 (sun rising through grass; the left part of 乾, 朝 and 韩, written 十 + 日 + 十) and 月 (moon; month), side by side, and takes 12 strokes. It has a second reading, zhāo, which turns up in 朝气 — here the two readings are two separate things to learn, not one card with two answers.
Build the character for “dynasty”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
𠦝 + 月
Left–right structure
- 𠦝 sun rising through grass; the left part of 乾, 朝 and 韩, written 十 + 日 + 十 unknown
- 月 moon; month · yuè unknown
Structure from: hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（现代字形 12 画：𠦝 8 [0–7] + 月 4 [8–11]）；IDS ⿰𠦝月；部首 月。右部现代写作「月」，历史来源未核实，不作义音主张
Memory aid
On the left, 𠦝 holds a sun; on the right, the moon 月. Sun and moon face each other across the character — 朝 means "to face", and dynasties rise and fall like them.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
12 strokes
In real words
- 唐朝táng cháothe Tang dynasty (618–907)朝 = cháo
- 朝廷cháo tíngimperial court朝 = cháo
- 宋朝Sòng cháothe Song dynasty (960–1279)朝 = cháo
- 秦朝qín cháothe Qin dynasty (221–207 BC)朝 = cháo
- 隋朝Suí cháothe Sui dynasty (581–618)朝 = cháo
Go deeper
All readings
dynasty; to face
dynasty; imperial court; to face; towards
朝代；朝廷；面对，向着。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 唐朝táng cháothe Tang dynasty (618–907)朝 = cháo
- 朝廷cháo tíngimperial court朝 = cháo
- 宋朝Sòng cháothe Song dynasty (960–1279)朝 = cháo
- 秦朝qín cháothe Qin dynasty (221–207 BC)朝 = cháo
- 隋朝Suí cháothe Sui dynasty (581–618)朝 = cháo
morning
morning; day
早晨；日，天。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 朝气zhāo qìyouthful vigor; vitality朝 = zhāo
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 朝 mean?
朝 (cháo) means dynasty; imperial court; to face; towards.
How do you pronounce 朝?
Its main reading is cháo. It also has a second reading, zhāo, which only shows up in certain words such as 朝气 — so the word tells you the reading, not the character on its own.
Why is 朝 sometimes pronounced zhāo?
Because it is a multi-reading character: each reading carries a different sense, and the word decides which one applies. In 朝气 it is read zhāo.
What parts is 朝 made of?
𠦝 (sun rising through grass; the left part of 乾, 朝 and 韩, written 十 + 日 + 十) and 月 (moon; month), side by side. The recorded source is: hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（现代字形 12 画：𠦝 8 [0–7] + 月 4 [8–11]）；IDS ⿰𠦝月；部首 月。右部现代写作「月」，历史来源未核实，不作义音主张. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 朝 have?
12. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 朝?
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 朝?
Common ones are 唐朝, 朝廷, 宋朝, 秦朝, 隋朝. The reading of 朝 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.