栋 (dòng) is a Chinese character meaning “ridgepole”. It is written from 木 (tree; wood) and 东 (east), side by side, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “ridgepole; main beam”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
木 + 东
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分（IDS ⿰木东，已对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：左「木」4 笔 + 右「东」5 笔 = 9 笔）；非字源解释
Memory aid
The one piece of wood (木) laid along the east–west (东) ridge of the roof — the beam the whole house hangs from. 东 is here for its sound, dōng, one tone away from dòng.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 栋梁dòng liángridgepole and beams; pillar of the state栋 = dòng
Go deeper
All readings
ridgepole; main beam
ridgepole; the main beam of a house; (figuratively) a mainstay; measure word for buildings
房屋正中最高处的横梁；也用作量词，用于房屋，如「一栋楼」。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 栋梁dòng liángridgepole and beams; pillar of the state栋 = dòng
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 栋 mean?
栋 (dòng) means ridgepole; the main beam of a house; (figuratively) a mainstay; measure word for buildings.
How do you pronounce 栋?
It is pronounced dòng.
What parts is 栋 made of?
木 (tree; wood) and 东 (east), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分（IDS ⿰木东，已对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：左「木」4 笔 + 右「东」5 笔 = 9 笔）；非字源解释. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 栋 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 栋?
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 栋?
Common ones are 栋梁. The reading of 栋 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.