蒋 (jiǎng) is a Chinese character meaning “Jiang, a Chinese surname”. It is written from 艹 (grass / plant radical) and 将 (to lead; about to (as a component: sound part in 蒋, 奖, 桨)), one above the other, and takes 12 strokes.
Build the character for “Jiang (surname)”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
艹 + 将
Top–bottom structure
- 艹 grass / plant radical · cǎo meaning
- 将 to lead; about to (as a component: sound part in 蒋, 奖, 桨) · jiāng sound
Structure from: 说文解字「蔣，苽蔣也。从艸將聲」；现代字形拆分 ⿱艹将，对照 hanzi-writer-data 12 笔核验：笔画 0–2 为「艹」，笔画 3–11 与「将」逐笔对应（3+9=12 画）
Memory aid
Grass (艹) growing over 将 (jiāng): picture the Jiang family's name written under a tuft of grass. 将 jiāng is also the sound clue for jiǎng.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
12 strokes
In real words
- 蒋介石Jiǎng JièshíChiang Kai-shek (1887–1975), Chinese political and military leader蒋 = jiǎng
Go deeper
All readings
Jiang (a surname)
Jiang, a Chinese surname; (archaic) wild rice plant
姓。古书中也指菰（茭白）一类的草本植物。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 蒋介石Jiǎng JièshíChiang Kai-shek (1887–1975), Chinese political and military leader蒋 = jiǎng
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 蒋 mean?
蒋 (jiǎng) means Jiang, a Chinese surname; (archaic) wild rice plant.
How do you pronounce 蒋?
It is pronounced jiǎng.
What parts is 蒋 made of?
艹 (grass / plant radical) and 将 (to lead; about to (as a component: sound part in 蒋, 奖, 桨)), one above the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字「蔣，苽蔣也。从艸將聲」；现代字形拆分 ⿱艹将，对照 hanzi-writer-data 12 笔核验：笔画 0–2 为「艹」，笔画 3–11 与「将」逐笔对应（3+9=12 画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 蒋 have?
12. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 蒋?
艹. 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 蒋?
Common ones are 蒋介石. The reading of 蒋 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.