笼 (lóng) is a Chinese character meaning “cage”. It is written from ⺮ (bamboo radical (top form of 竹)) and 龙 (dragon), one above the other, and takes 11 strokes. It has a second reading, lǒng, which turns up in 笼罩 — here the two readings are two separate things to learn, not one card with two answers.
Build the character for “cage”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
⺮ + 龙
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 现代字形按 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（⺮6 + 龙5 = 11 笔）；形声关系见 说文解字：籠，从竹龍聲（简化字 龍→龙）
Memory aid
Bamboo strips (⺮) woven over a dragon (龙): a bamboo cage strong enough to hold even a dragon.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 笼子lóngzicage; coop笼 = lóng
- 鸟笼niǎolóngbirdcage笼 = lóng
Go deeper
All readings
cage
cage; coop; basket; steamer basket
用竹篾、铁丝等编成的养鸟兽或装东西的器具；也指蒸食物的笼屉。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 笼子lóngzicage; coop笼 = lóng
- 鸟笼niǎolóngbirdcage笼 = lóng
to envelop
to cover; to envelop; to shroud
像笼子一样罩住、遮盖。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 笼罩lǒngzhàoto envelop; to shroud笼 = lǒng
Sound component
龙 family exact
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 笼 mean?
笼 (lóng) means cage; coop; basket; steamer basket.
How do you pronounce 笼?
Its main reading is lóng. It also has a second reading, lǒng, which only shows up in certain words such as 笼罩 — so the word tells you the reading, not the character on its own.
Why is 笼 sometimes pronounced lǒng?
Because it is a multi-reading character: each reading carries a different sense, and the word decides which one applies. In 笼罩 it is read lǒng.
What parts is 笼 made of?
⺮ (bamboo radical (top form of 竹)) and 龙 (dragon), one above the other. The recorded source is: 现代字形按 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（⺮6 + 龙5 = 11 笔）；形声关系见 说文解字：籠，从竹龍聲（简化字 龍→龙）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 笼 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 笼?
竹. 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 笼?
Common ones are 笼子 and 鸟笼. The reading of 笼 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.