诵 (sòng) is a Chinese character meaning “to recite”. It is written from 讠 (speech radical) and 甬 (walled passage (as in 甬道); a common sound component), side by side, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “to recite”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
讠 + 甬
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字: 誦，諷也。从言甬聲 (简化后 言→讠)
Memory aid
The speech radical (讠) beside 甬, a long walled passage: words travel down the passage one after another — reciting a text aloud from start to end.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 背诵bèi sòngto recite from memory诵 = sòng
- 朗诵lǎng sòngto recite aloud (with expression)诵 = sòng
Go deeper
All readings
to recite
to recite; to read aloud; to chant
念出声来；背出所学的文字。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 背诵bèi sòngto recite from memory诵 = sòng
- 朗诵lǎng sòngto recite aloud (with expression)诵 = sòng
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 诵 mean?
诵 (sòng) means to recite; to read aloud; to chant.
How do you pronounce 诵?
It is pronounced sòng.
What parts is 诵 made of?
讠 (speech radical) and 甬 (walled passage (as in 甬道); a common sound component), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字: 誦，諷也。从言甬聲 (简化后 言→讠). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 诵 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 诵?
讠. 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 诵?
Common ones are 背诵 and 朗诵. The reading of 诵 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.