枪 (qiāng) is a Chinese character meaning “gun”. It is written from 木 (tree; wood) and 仓 (storehouse; granary), side by side, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “gun; spear”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
木 + 仓
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形构形分析（笔画数据核验：⿰木仓，4+4=8 画）；只描述今形，不追溯古字来源
Memory aid
Wood (木) taken out of the storehouse (仓): the shaft of a spear, and later the stock of a gun. 仓 also carries the sound — cāng points you toward qiāng.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 手枪shǒu qiāngpistol; handgun枪 = qiāng
- 步枪bù qiāngrifle枪 = qiāng
- 枪毙qiāng bìto execute by shooting枪 = qiāng
Go deeper
All readings
gun; spear
gun; firearm; rifle; (of an older weapon) spear
发射子弹的武器；也指古代长柄带尖头的兵器。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 手枪shǒu qiāngpistol; handgun枪 = qiāng
- 步枪bù qiāngrifle枪 = qiāng
- 枪毙qiāng bìto execute by shooting枪 = qiāng
Sound component
仓 family onset shift
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 枪 mean?
枪 (qiāng) means gun; firearm; rifle; (of an older weapon) spear.
How do you pronounce 枪?
It is pronounced qiāng.
What parts is 枪 made of?
木 (tree; wood) and 仓 (storehouse; granary), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形构形分析（笔画数据核验：⿰木仓，4+4=8 画）；只描述今形，不追溯古字来源. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 枪 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 枪?
木. 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 枪?
Common ones are 手枪 and 步枪. The reading of 枪 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.