How to Write 漳 (zhāng) — Meaning “Zhang (river name)”

Think of the water radical 氵 and the right side 章 which looks like a chapter or seal. Imagine a river called "Chapter River" where each bend is like a chapter in a book. The city Zhangzhou (漳州) is known for this river.

Write the water radical first as three strokes: dot, dot, lift. Then the right side 章: start with the top part 立 (five strokes) and finish with 早 (six strokes). Keep the left radical narrower and the right side wider; a common mistake is making the 章 too small or misordering the strokes in 早.

漳 is a proper noun specifically for the Zhang River and places named after it, like Zhangzhou. 渝 is used for the Yu River and the city of Chongqing (重庆), while 渡 means "to cross a river" and is a common verb. Visually, the right sides differ: 章 vs 俞 vs 度.

漳 is almost only used in proper place names, such as 漳州 (Zhangzhou, a city in Fujian Province) and 漳河 (the Zhang River). It does not appear in everyday vocabulary; you will encounter it mostly when reading about Chinese geography or travel destinations.

Common words containing 漳 include: 漳州 (zhāng zhōu) — Zhangzhou (a city in Fujian); 漳河 (zhāng hé) — Zhang River; 漳江 (zhāng jiāng) — Zhang River.