绳 (shéng) is a Chinese character meaning “rope”. It is written from 纟 (silk; thread (left-side form)) and 黾 (frog; toad (simplified form of 黽)), side by side, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “rope”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
纟 + 黾
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字: 繩，索也。从糸，蠅省聲 (modern simplified form 纟+黾)
Memory aid
Silk thread (纟) twisted tight around a squat 黾 — thread wound thick enough to tie it down becomes a rope.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 绳子shéng zirope; cord绳 = shéng
- 跳绳tiào shéngjump rope; to skip rope绳 = shéng
Go deeper
All readings
rope
rope; cord; string; to restrain
用两股以上的线、麻、棕等拧成的条状物；也指约束、制裁。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 绳子shéng zirope; cord绳 = shéng
- 跳绳tiào shéngjump rope; to skip rope绳 = shéng
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 绳 mean?
绳 (shéng) means rope; cord; string; to restrain.
How do you pronounce 绳?
It is pronounced shéng.
What parts is 绳 made of?
纟 (silk; thread (left-side form)) and 黾 (frog; toad (simplified form of 黽)), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字: 繩，索也。从糸，蠅省聲 (modern simplified form 纟+黾). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 绳 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 绳?
纟. 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 绳?
Common ones are 绳子 and 跳绳. The reading of 绳 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.