How to Write 江 (jiāng) — Meaning “river”

Imagine a river (氵) flowing through a construction site with a big crane shaped like the letter T (工). The crane stands for work or sound, and the water reminds you it's a river. This visual helps you recall both the meaning and the shape.

Write the left water radical first: dot, dot, then a short upward stroke. Then write the right part 工: horizontal, vertical, horizontal. Make sure the water radical is narrow, and the right part is slightly wider with even spacing between strokes.

江 (jiāng) means river, while 㳄 (xián) is not a standard modern character and 氿 (guǐ) means a spring or small stream. Visually, 江 has 工 on the right, 㳄 has 欠 (a person with mouth open), and 氿 has 九 (nine). Only 江 is common in daily use.

江 is used in names of major rivers like 长江 (the Yangtze River), and in words like 江边 (riverside) and 江水 (river water). In Chinese culture, 长江 is a symbol of Chinese civilization, often appearing in poetry and idioms. You can use 江 to refer to any large river, but for smaller rivers, 河 (hé) is more common.

Common words containing 江 include: 长江 (cháng jiāng) — the Yangtze River; 江边 (jiāng biān) — Riverside; 江水 (jiāng shuǐ) — river water.