How to Write 榔 (láng) — Meaning “Hammer / Betel”

Picture a young man (郎, meaning a young man) holding a wooden hammer (木). The hammer is a 榔头, so the image of a guy with a wooden tool helps you remember both the shape and meaning. Or think of "Lang" swinging a log (木) as a hammer.

Pay attention to the right side 郎: it starts with a dot, then a horizontal fold, and ends with a vertical stroke. The left 木 should be narrow and the right 郎 wider, keeping the character balanced. A common mistake is making the right side too small or uneven.

柴 (chái, firewood) has 此 on top of 木, while 栓 (shuān, bolt) has 全 on the right of 木. 榔 uses 郎 on the right. Visually, 郎 has a dot and fold, unlike 此 (two small 止 shapes) or 全 (a person with a king). Their meanings are also different: 榔 relates to hammer or betel, 柴 is wood for burning, and 栓 is a plug or latch.

榔 appears in common words like 榔头 (láng tou, hammer) and 槟榔 (bīng láng, betel nut). Betel nut is chewed in parts of Asia, especially Taiwan and Southeast Asia, often as a mild stimulant. The character is not in the HSK vocabulary list, so you will mostly see it in practical or cultural contexts.

Common words containing 榔 include: 槟榔 (bīng láng) — Betel nut; 榔头 (láng tou) — Hammer; 榔头钉 (láng tou dīng) — Hammering nails.