How to Write 姓 (xìng) — Meaning “surname; family name”

Imagine a woman (女) giving birth (生) to a baby — that child then gets the family surname (姓). So you can remember "woman + birth = surname." This visual link helps connect the parts to the meaning.

Write the left radical 女 first (stroke order: 撇点, 撇, 横), then the right side 生 (撇, 横, 横, 竖, 横). Keep 女 narrow and balanced with 生 — a common mistake is making the left side too wide, which throws off the character's symmetry.

虽 all have the 女 radical, 姓 uses 生 (life) on the right, 奸 uses 干 (dry/do), and 她 uses 也 (also). Visually, 生 has two horizontal strokes in the middle, 干 has only one, and 也 has a hook at the bottom. Meanings are different too: 姓 means surname, 奸 means wicked, and 她 means she.

姓 is used to ask or state someone's family name, like 你姓什么? (What is your surname?) and 我姓王 (My surname is Wang). In Chinese culture, the surname comes first, and the word 百姓 (common people) literally means "hundred surnames," referring to all ordinary families.

Common words containing 姓 include: 姓名 (xìng míng) — full name; 姓 (xìng) — surname; family name; 百姓 (bǎi xìng) — Common people.