Hanzi Writer

How to Write 枪 (qiāng) — Meaning “gun; spear”

qiāng HSK Level 5 8 strokes Radical: 木

枪 (qiāng) means "gun; spear" in Chinese. It has 8 strokes with the radical 木, and is HSK Level 5.

Rated 3.7/5 in difficulty (challenging).

Harder than 36% of HSK Level 5 characters.

Appears in 3+ common words including 手枪 (shǒu qiāng), 玩具枪 (wán jù qiāng), 开枪 (kāi qiāng).

Due to its 8 strokes, Hanzi Writer's error detection shows 枪 requires focused practice — most learners need 10+ attempts for consistent accuracy.

Stroke order practice for 枪 - qiāng

Practice Writing 枪 (qiāng)

Open Hanzi Writer to see the animated stroke order and practice writing 枪 with real-time feedback.

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How to Write 枪

The character 枪 (qiāng) is written with 8 strokes. Follow the standard Chinese stroke order: top to bottom, left to right, outside before inside. The radical 木 is one of its key components.

Practice the correct stroke order with the Hanzi Writer app to see animated stroke-by-stroke guidance with real-time feedback.

What Does qiāng (枪) Mean in Chinese?

枪 means gun; spear.

As an HSK Level 5 character, 枪 is an intermediate-level character.

Character Data

Character枪
Pinyinqiāng (qiang)
Meaninggun; spear
Strokes8
Radical木
HSK Level5
Difficulty3.7/5

Origin of 枪

The character 枪 combines the radical 木 (wood, indicating the wooden shaft) with 仓 (cāng, meaning 'storage' or 'warehouse'), suggesting a wooden weapon kept in an armory. Originally referring to a spear, it later extended to mean 'gun' as firearms replaced traditional polearms.

💡 Memory Tip: Picture a wooden spear (木) leaning against a warehouse (仓), but when you pick it up, it transforms into a futuristic gun.

Common Words with 枪

手枪 shǒu qiāng
handgun / pistol
玩具枪 wán jù qiāng
toy gun
开枪 kāi qiāng
to fire a gun; to shoot

Example Sentences

他在射击场练习使用手枪，动作非常规范。

tā zài shè jī chǎng liàn xí shǐ yòng shǒu qiāng ， dòng zuò fēi cháng guī fàn 。

He was practicing with a pistol at the shooting range, and his movements were very standard.

弟弟喜欢玩玩具枪。

dì di xǐ huān wán wán jù qiāng

My younger brother likes playing with toy guns.

比赛开始了，裁判开枪。

bǐ sài kāi shǐ le cái pàn kāi qiāng

The race has started; the referee fired the starting gun.

Similar Characters Comparison

Character Pinyin Strokes Radical
枪 (current) qiāng 8 木
朱 zhū 6 木
朴 pō / pǔ 6 木
朵 duǒ 6 木
Stroke order practice for 枪 - qiāng

Practice Writing 枪 (qiāng)

Open Hanzi Writer to see the animated stroke order and practice writing 枪 with real-time feedback.

✨ Animated stroke order · Handwriting recognition · HSK-graded practice · Free to use

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Frequently Asked Questions about 枪

The left part is the radical 木 (wood), which connects to the original meaning of a wooden spear. The right part 仓 (cāng) provides pronunciation and hints at storage. Together, 木 and 仓 create the character for spear or gun.

More HSK Level 5 Characters

慰wèi岸àn摩mó拔bá拜bài版bǎn扮bàn棒bàng怨yuàn悲bēi辈bèi鼻bí彼bǐ幕mù辑jí宾bīn饼bǐng毒dú玻bō璃lí

Characters with Radical 木

木mù未wèi末mò本běn札zhá术shù朱zhū朴pō/pǔ朵duǒ机jī

Other 8-Stroke Characters

㐭lǐn丧sāng/sàng乖guāi乳rǔ乶fǔ事shì些xiē亟jí享xiǎng京jīng