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.
想xiǎngto think
相mutual · xiāngSound part
心heart · xīnMeaning part
心 hints at the meaning (heart); 相 (xiāng) hints at the sound. Compare it with xiǎng.
Memory aid相 means to look at closely. Add the heart 心 and you picture something in your mind: to think.
How to write 想
想 13 strokes
Watch the order, then press Try writing it and draw each stroke in the grid. Each stroke is checked as you go.
Stroke order chart for 想 (xiǎng). Red marks the next stroke, so you can copy it onto paper one step at a time.
想 (xiǎng) means “to want, think” or “to think (about)”. It is an HSK 1 word, so it is one of the words learners meet early.
Say it xiǎng: xiǎng with a 3rd tone. Press Listen at the top of this page to hear it, or Slowly to hear each tone clearly.
Yes. 想 is written the same way in Simplified and Traditional characters.
Add a Chinese (Simplified) pinyin keyboard to your phone or computer, type xiang with no tone marks or spaces, then choose 想 from the suggestions. Typing xiang into this dictionary’s search box finds it too.
想 is an HSK 1 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.
想xiǎng3rd tone, dipping
