How to Write 僮 (tóng) — Meaning “servant boy”

Picture a child (童) standing next to a person (亻) doing chores — that child is a servant boy. The character literally shows a "person-child" who works, which matches the meaning. This visual of a young helper can help you recall 僮.

Write the left radical 亻 first with two strokes, making it narrow. Then write 童: start with 立 (top part) and then 里 below — note that the bottom of 立 is a horizontal stroke that should not cross into 里. A common mistake is to merge the two parts of 童 or write 里 with an extra stroke.

僮 (tóng) means servant boy, while 傅 (fù) means tutor or coach and has the right component 尃. 傈 (lì) refers to the Lì ethnic group or means rustic, with right component 栗 (chestnut). Visually, 僮 uses 童 (child) whereas 傅 and 傈 use different right parts, so focus on that core difference.

僮 is a classical or literary character, not common in everyday speech. It appears in historical terms like 书僮 (study attendant) and 僮仆 (servant). In modern contexts, it is mainly used in historical fiction or cultural discussions about old Chinese household roles.

Common words containing 僮 include: 书僮 (shū tóng) — Study attendant; 僮仆 (tóng pú) — servant; 僮子 (tóng zi) — young servant.