How to Write 丧 (sāng/sàng) — Meaning “funeral; mourning; to lose”

Imagine a funeral procession where the coffin is shaped like the top part '一丷' and the bottom '长' looks like a long line of mourners walking slowly. This visual of a long sorrowful line helps recall both the shape and meaning of mourning or loss.

The top part has a horizontal stroke (一) followed by two dots (丷), not three. Then a long vertical stroke (长) runs down the center. A common mistake is making the top too wide or forgetting the final dot at the bottom right of 长.

丧 (sāng) means 'funeral' or 'to lose', while 丞 (chéng) means 'assistant' and 丢 (diū) means 'to throw away'. Visually, 丞 has a horizontal stroke with 了-like bottom, 丢 has a missing top stroke, and 丧 has a distinct '一丷' top plus a longer bottom part.

丧 appears in words like 丧失 (lose) for losing abilities, and 沮丧 for feeling depressed. In daily life, 丧事 refers to funeral arrangements, and the character carries a somber tone. It's also used in internet slang like '丧文化' (sang culture) to describe a pessimistic, low-energy attitude.

Common words containing 丧 include: 丧失 (sàng shī) — to lose; to forfeit; 沮丧 (jǔ sàng) — depressed; disheartened; 丧事 (sāng shì) — funeral.