How to Write 囊 (náng) — Meaning “Bag / Pocket / Sac”

Imagine a mouth (口) opening a large cloth bag (衣 at the bottom) that is stuffed full — the middle part looks like the bulging contents. This picture of a "mouth-bag" helps you recall that 囊 means a bag or sack.

With 22 strokes, 囊 is very complex; always write the top 口 first, then the middle structure (which contains overlapping horizontal and vertical strokes), and finish with the bottom 衣. A common mistake is to make the middle section too narrow or to forget the dot and two falling strokes at the bottom of 衣.

囊 has the 口 element on top and is a noun meaning 'bag', while 嚷 (rǎng) has 口 on the left and means 'to shout', and 嚼 (jiáo) also has 口 on the left but means 'to chew'. Visually, 囊 is much taller and has 衣 at the bottom, whereas 嚷 and 嚼 are more balanced and contain different right-side components (襄 and 爵).

囊 appears in common words like 胶囊 (capsule) and 行囊 (travel bag). Culturally, 锦囊 (silk bag) is famous from the phrase 锦囊妙计, meaning a clever plan secretly stored in a silk bag, often referenced in Chinese history and stories like Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

Common words containing 囊 include: 胶囊 (jiāo náng) — capsule; 行囊 (xíng náng) — Travel bag; 锦囊 (jǐn náng) — Silk bag (containing a clever plan).