How to Write 侗 (dòng) — Meaning “Dong (ethnic group); ignorant”

Imagine a person (亻) standing with the same (同) hat and clothes as everyone in the Dong village. This visual links the "person" radical to the idea of a shared identity. Repeat to yourself: "A person who is the same — that's the Dong people."

Write the left radical 亻 first with a slanted stroke then a vertical stroke, making it narrow. The right part 同 starts with a vertical stroke, then a horizontal fold hook, then the inner 一 and 口 — keep the 口 centered and not too big. A common mistake is making the left radical too wide or the right part too tall.

All three use the person radical 亻, but their right parts differ: 侗 has 同 (same), 仰 has 卬 (áng, to lift), and 仲 has 中 (middle). Visually, 侗 looks like a person next to a box with a dash inside, while 仰 has a person next to a shape like a kneeling figure. In meaning, 侗 is mainly an ethnic name, 仰 means to look up, and 仲 means middle or second.

侗 appears most often in the name 侗族 (Dòng zú), the Dong ethnic minority of southern China. You also see it in 侗戏 (Dòng xì), a traditional opera recognized as cultural heritage. The meaning "ignorant" is very old and almost never used today, so stick to the ethnic group context.

Common words containing 侗 include: 侗族 (dòng zú) — Dong ethnic group; 侗戏 (dòng xì) — Dong Opera; 侗家 (dòng jiā) — Dong people; Dong family.