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How to Write 挣 (zhēng/zhèng) — Meaning “earn; struggle”

zhēng/zhèng HSK Level 5 9 strokes Radical: 扌

挣 (zhēng/zhèng) means "earn; struggle" in Chinese. It has 9 strokes with the radical 扌, and is HSK Level 5.

Rated 4/5 in difficulty (challenging).

Harder than 51% of HSK Level 5 characters.

Appears in 3+ common words including 挣钱 (zhèng qián), 挣扎 (zhēng zhá), 挣脱 (zhèng tuō).

Due to its 9 strokes, Hanzi Writer's error detection shows 挣 requires focused practice — most learners need 10+ attempts for consistent accuracy.

Stroke order practice for 挣 - zhēng/zhèng

Practice Writing 挣 (zhēng/zhèng)

Open Hanzi Writer to see the animated stroke order and practice writing 挣 with real-time feedback.

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How to Write 挣

The character 挣 (zhēng/zhèng) is written with 9 strokes. Follow the standard Chinese stroke order: top to bottom, left to right, outside before inside. The radical 扌 is one of its key components.

Practice the correct stroke order with the Hanzi Writer app to see animated stroke-by-stroke guidance with real-time feedback.

What Does zhēng/zhèng (挣) Mean in Chinese?

挣 means earn; struggle.

This is a polyphonic character with readings: zhēng, zhèng.

As an HSK Level 5 character, 挣 is an intermediate-level character.

Character Data

Character挣
Pinyinzhēng / zhèng (zheng)
Meaningearn; struggle
Strokes9
Radical扌
HSK Level5
Difficulty4/5

Origin of 挣

The character 挣 combines the hand radical 扌 (shǒu) with the phonetic component 争 (zhēng, meaning 'struggle' or 'contend'). Together, they depict a hand actively engaged in a struggle or effort, which extends to the meaning of 'to earn' (through hard work) or 'to struggle' physically or financially.

💡 Memory Tip: Imagine a hand (扌) grabbing a wallet in a fierce tug-of-war (争) to earn money through struggle.

Common Words with 挣

挣钱 zhèng qián
earn money
挣扎 zhēng zhá
struggle
挣脱 zhèng tuō
break free

Example Sentences

他在努力挣钱。

tā zài nǔ lì zhèng qián

He is working hard to earn money.

他在水中挣扎。

tā zài shuǐ zhōng zhēng zhá

He is struggling in the water.

小狗挣脱了绳子。

xiǎo gǒu zhèng tuō le shéng zi

The puppy broke free from the leash.

Similar Characters Comparison

Character Pinyin Strokes Radical
挣 (current) zhēng / zhèng 9 扌
扭 niǔ 7 扌
扮 bàn 7 扌
扯 chě 7 扌
Stroke order practice for 挣 - zhēng/zhèng

Practice Writing 挣 (zhēng/zhèng)

Open Hanzi Writer to see the animated stroke order and practice writing 挣 with real-time feedback.

✨ Animated stroke order · Handwriting recognition · HSK-graded practice · Free to use

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Frequently Asked Questions about 挣

挣 is made of the hand radical 扌 on the left and 争 (zhēng, meaning 'struggle' or 'dispute') on the right. The hand radical shows that the character involves an action, and 争 gives the sound and the idea of struggling or competing, so 挣 means to struggle or earn through effort.

More HSK Level 5 Characters

慰wèi岸àn摩mó拔bá拜bài版bǎn扮bàn棒bàng怨yuàn悲bēi辈bèi鼻bí彼bǐ幕mù辑jí宾bīn饼bǐng毒dú玻bō璃lí

Characters with Radical 扌

才cái扎zā/zhā/zhá扑pū扒bā/pá打dá/dǎ扔rēng払fǎn托tuō扛gāng/káng扢gǔ

Other 9-Stroke Characters

㒸suì㲋chuò㿽xī临lín举jǔ乹gān/qián亭tíng亮liàng亲qīn/qìng侮wǔ