HSK 2 · Particles

从 cóng “from” in Chinese

Traditional 從

What 从 means

  1. from
  2. through
  3. via
  4. (bound form) to follow
  5. (bound form) to obey
More meanings from CC-CEDICT
  • (bound form) to engage in (an activity)
  • (used before a negative) ever
  • (bound form) retainer
  • attendant

How to say 从

  • Pitch chart of the second tone: rises from mid to high, 3 to 5 on the five-level scale从cóng2nd tone, rising

从 in a sentence

  1. 您从哪儿来的？

    Nín cóng nǎr lái de?

    Where have you come from?

    Sentence #476697 from Tatoeba

  2. 那么，我们从哪儿开始？

    Nàme, wǒmen cóng nǎr kāishǐ?

    So, where shall we start?

    Sentence #2383165 from Tatoeba · translation adapted

  3. 他从中国回来了。

    Tā cóng Zhōngguó huílai le.

    He’s come back from China.

    Sentence #343360 from Tatoeba · translation adapted

How 从 is built

Each colour is one part of the character. Parts repeat across thousands of characters, so learning them makes new words easier. See all 214 in our radicals chart.

The character 从 (cóng) with each of its parts in a different colour
从cóngfrom; through; via
  • 人person · rén
  • 人person · rén

Memory aidOne person 人 following another 人: to follow, from.

How to write 从

从 4 strokes

Watch the order, then press Try writing it and draw each stroke in the grid. Each stroke is checked as you go.

从 (cóng) stroke order chart: each stroke of the character in the order you write it
Stroke order chart for 从 (cóng). Red marks the next stroke, so you can copy it onto paper one step at a time.

Words related to 从

Words with 从

从小cóngxiǎo · from childhood从来cónglái · always从此cóngcǐ · from now on从前cóngqián · previously从事cóngshì · to engage in从而cóng'ér · thus自从zìcóng · since (a time)服从fúcóng · to obey从容cóngróng · calm

More words: Particles & Connectors

吧ba · suggestion particle比bǐ · compared to得de · particle linking a verb to how it is done (e.g. 跑得快离lí · away from到dào · to对duì · correct往wǎng · to go (in a direction)一下yíxià · (after a verb) briefly

FAQs

从 (cóng) means “from” or “through”. It is an HSK 2 word, so it is one of the words learners meet early.
Say it cóng: cóng with a 2nd tone. Press Listen at the top of this page to hear it, or Slowly to hear each tone clearly.
In Traditional characters, used in Taiwan and Hong Kong, 从 is written 從. The pronunciation is the same.
Add a Chinese (Simplified) pinyin keyboard to your phone or computer, type cong with no tone marks or spaces, then choose 从 from the suggestions. Typing cong into this dictionary’s search box finds it too.
从 is an HSK 2 word in the HSK 2.0 word lists.

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Sources: meaning and pinyin checked by a native Mandarin teacher against the official HSK lists. Extra meanings from CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0). Example sentences from Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR). Character parts and stroke order from Make Me a Hanzi.