How to Write 杖 (zhàng) — Meaning “walking stick”

Imagine a wooden stick (木) that is exactly one 丈 long — a tall staff you can lean on. Visualize an old man using a 丈-long wooden stick as his walking stick.

Write the left radical 木 first (horizontal, vertical, left-falling, dot), then the right side 丈 (horizontal, left-falling, right-falling). A common mistake is making the right-falling stroke of 丈 too short or overlapping the dot of 木 — keep the dot small and centered.

未 (wèi, not yet) and 末 (mò, end/tip) look similar but have different horizontal strokes: 未 has a shorter top stroke and longer bottom; 末 has a longer top and shorter bottom. 杖 is completely different because it adds 丈 to 木, forming a wider character meaning "walking stick."

杖 appears in common words like 拐杖 (guǎi zhàng, crutch) and 手杖 (shǒu zhàng, cane). It is often used for elderly people or those with walking difficulties, and in Chinese culture a 杖 can also symbolize authority or support, as seen in traditional taoist immortals carrying a staff.

Common words containing 杖 include: 拐杖 (guǎi zhàng) — Crutch / Walking stick; 手杖 (shǒu zhàng) — walking stick / cane; 拄杖 (zhǔ zhàng) — to lean on a staff.