How to Write 衖 (xiàng) — Meaning “Lane”

Imagine a narrow lane where people walk (行) together (共) side by side. The two parts visually create a picture of a shared walking space, making the meaning easy to recall.

Write the left part 彳 first (two strokes), then the right part 共 (six strokes). Make sure the horizontal strokes in 共 are evenly spaced and the last stroke is a downward-right diagonal (捺), not a short dot. A common mistake is making 共 too wide — keep it compact so the character stays balanced.

衖 means a small lane or alley, while 街 (jiē) means a wider street or avenue. 衔 (xián) means to hold in the mouth or a military rank, unrelated to roads. Visually, 街 has 圭 (jade) inside 行, and 衔 has 金 (metal) and 亍, whereas 衖 has 共.

衖 is a less common variant of 巷 (xiàng, lane) and appears mainly in older literature, proper names, or some dialects. In mainland China, 巷 is the standard character for alleyway, but 衖 is still used in words like 衖堂 (alleyway) or 走衖 (to walk through an alley).

Common words containing 衖 include: 衖堂 (xiàng táng) — Alleyway; 巷衖 (xiàng xiàng) — alleyway / lane; 走衖 (zǒu xiàng) — To walk through an alley..