How to Write 王 (wáng) — Meaning “King / Surname Wang”

Imagine the three horizontal lines as the three levels of a kingdom: the sky above, the people on earth, and the underworld below. The vertical line is the king who connects and rules all three. You can also think of '王' as a 'king' wearing a tall crown (the top horizontal) above his face (the middle line) and shoulders (the bottom line).

The stroke order is: horizontal, horizontal, vertical, horizontal — the final horizontal is the longest and serves as the base. A common mistake is making the three horizontal strokes uneven in length; the top and middle should be shorter, and the bottom should be the longest. Also, ensure the vertical stroke is centered and passes through all three horizontals.

王 is a standalone character meaning 'king', while 玎 (dīng) and 玑 (jī) both contain the '王' radical but add different right-side components: 玎 adds 丁 (nail) and 玑 adds 几 (small table). These characters are rare and refer to types of jade or gemstone sounds, not royalty. Visually, 王 has three horizontal strokes, while 玎 and 玑 have an extra part on the right.

王 is very common as a surname (Wang), and appears in words like 国王 (king), 王子 (prince), and 王后 (queen). In Chinese culture, the king was seen as the 'Son of Heaven' and a bridge between the mortal and divine realms. Today, when addressing someone as 王先生, you are using their surname, not referring to royalty.

Common words containing 王 include: 国王 (guó wáng) — King; 王子 (wáng zǐ) — Prince; 王先生 (wáng xiān shēng) — Mr. Wang.