How to Write 鄣 (zhāng) — Meaning “Zhang (ancient state or place name)”

Imagine a chapter (章) of a history book that describes an ancient city (阝) called Zhang. The word 'Zhang' is in both the sound and the left component, helping you link the character to its meaning of a place name.

Write the left part 章 first: it has a 立 on top and 早 below, with a total of 11 strokes. Then add the right ear radical 阝 with 2 strokes. A common mistake is making the left side too narrow or the right ear too large—keep the left part wider and balanced.

鄣 uses 章 on the left, while 郾 uses 匽 and 鄂 uses 咢 on the left. All three are ancient place names, but each refers to a different historical region: 鄣 was in modern Shandong, 郾 in modern Henan, and 鄂 in modern Hubei.

鄣 is rarely used today; it appears mostly in historical names like 鄣县 (Zhang County) or 鄣郡 (Zhang Prefecture) from ancient China. You might encounter it in historical texts or geography discussions about the Zhou dynasty, but it is not part of common vocabulary.

Common words containing 鄣 include: 鄣县 (zhāng xiàn) — Zhang County; 鄣城 (zhāng chéng) — Zhang City; 鄣郡 (zhāng jùn) — Zhang Prefecture.