香 (xiāng) is a Chinese character meaning “fragrant”. It is written from 禾 (grain; standing grain) and 日 (sun; day), one above the other, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “fragrant”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
禾 + 日
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分 IDS ⿱禾日（对照 hanzi-writer-data 9 画字形核验；非历史字源）
Memory aid
Grain (禾) drying in the sun (日) — that warm smell of ripe rice is 香, fragrant. Both parts are really in the character, but this is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 香皂xiāng zàoscented soap; toilet soap香 = xiāng
- 香肠xiāng chángsausage香 = xiāng
- 丁香dīng xiānglilac; clove香 = xiāng
- 香菇xiāng gūshiitake mushroom香 = xiāng
Go deeper
All readings
fragrant
fragrant; sweet-smelling; (of food) tasty; incense
气味好闻；也形容饭菜吃着可口；还指点燃用的香。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 香皂xiāng zàoscented soap; toilet soap香 = xiāng
- 香肠xiāng chángsausage香 = xiāng
- 丁香dīng xiānglilac; clove香 = xiāng
- 香菇xiāng gūshiitake mushroom香 = xiāng
Easy to confuse with
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 香 mean?
香 (xiāng) means fragrant; sweet-smelling; (of food) tasty; incense.
How do you pronounce 香?
It is pronounced xiāng.
What parts is 香 made of?
禾 (grain; standing grain) and 日 (sun; day), one above the other. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分 IDS ⿱禾日（对照 hanzi-writer-data 9 画字形核验；非历史字源）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 香 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 香?
香. 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 香?
Common ones are 香皂 and 香肠. The reading of 香 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.