How to Write 仉 (zhǎng) — Meaning “Zhang (a surname)”

Picture a person (亻) standing on a small table (几) to reach something high, and that person's name is Mr. Zhang. The image of someone climbing on a table helps you connect the shape to the surname Zhang.

Write the left radical 亻 first: a short slash and a vertical line. Then write the right part 几: a left stroke, a horizontal fold hook, and a short hook inside. Keep the left and right parts balanced and the same height.

仉 (zhǎng) is a rare surname meaning Zhang, while 亿 (yì) means a hundred million and 什 (shén) is used in the word 什么 (what). Visually, 仉 uses 几 on the right, 亿 uses 乙, and 什 uses 十.

仉 is almost exclusively used as a surname, like in 仉先生 (Mr. Zhang). It is not a common character and does not appear in HSK vocabulary. You might encounter it in historical texts or in the name of Mencius's mother, who was called 仉氏 (Lady Zhang).

Common words containing 仉 include: 仉先生 (zhǎng xiān shēng) — Mr. Zhang; 姓仉 (xìng zhǎng) — surnamed Zhang; 仉氏 (zhǎng shì) — The Zhang family or Lady Zhang.