What does 样 mean in Chinese?

样 (yàng) means "appearance, way" in Chinese. The new HSK exam expects you to recognise it at HSK 1.

How do you write 样?

样 is written with 10 strokes, starting from the 木 (tree) radical and following standard Chinese stroke order (top to bottom, left to right). See the interactive stroke-order tool for the full animation.

What is the radical of 样?

The radical of 样 is 木 (tree, Kangxi radical #75). Other common HSK characters using the same radical include 本, 来, 机, 果.

How many strokes does 样 have?

The Chinese character 样 has 10 strokes.

What HSK level is 样?

On the new HSK exam syllabus, 样 is a character to recognise at HSK 1.

样 (yàng): Meaning, Stroke Order, Radical & Examples

样

yàng

appearance, way

HSK 1 character 10 strokes Radical: 木 (tree)

Quick Answer

样 (yàng) means "appearance, way" with 10 strokes, radical 木 (tree), HSK 1 on the new exam.

Full dictionary entry for 样 →Animated stroke-order for 样 →

Pronunciation

yàng

Meaning

Primary: appearance

Other meanings:

Etymology

Oracle-bone origin

样 has no oracle bone or bronze attestation in its current sense. It is a phono-semantic compound with 木 (wood) as the semantic component and 羊 (yáng, sheep) as the phonetic. The traditional form 樣 uses 漾 (without the water radical) as phonetic, and 样 is the simplified variant that kept only 羊.

Form evolution

The traditional 樣 appears in seal and clerical forms with 木 on the left and a complex right side combining 永 over 羊. During the 20th-century simplification, the top element 永 was dropped entirely, collapsing the right side to a bare 羊 and producing modern 样. Traditional-script regions still write 樣.

How the meaning evolved

The original meaning was a specific kind of oak tree (the xiàng oak), recorded in early botanical texts. This meaning faded and the character was borrowed for 'shape, form, appearance,' then extended to 'kind, type' and 'sample, pattern.' The tree meaning is now essentially dead in Mandarin, preserved only in a few classical references.

Cultural note

样 is the measure-word-like noun in 这样 (this way), 那样 (that way), and 怎么样 (how about it), all among the first expressions learners meet. The word 样子 literally means 'the appearance of a thing' and is used constantly in spoken Mandarin to mean 'looks like' or 'seems.'

Mnemonic

A tree with a sheep — what kind, appearance

Decomposition

样=木radical+羊component

Breaking a character into its components makes it far easier to recall. Each component above links to its own detail page.

Basic info

Pinyin	yàng
Meanings	appearance, way
Stroke count	10 strokes
Radical	木 (#75: tree)
New HSK exam	Recognise at HSK 1
Frequency	#192 most common

Example sentences

你应该这样做。
Nǐ yīnggāi zhèyàng zuò.
You should do it this way.
From 样 (HSK 6)
这个怎么样？
Zhège zěnmeyàng?
How about this one?
From 怎么样 (HSK 1)
我们一样高。
Wǒmen yíyàng gāo.
We are equally tall.
From 一样 (HSK 3)

Words containing 样

Word	Pinyin	Meaning	HSK
样	yàng	appearance, way	HSK 6
怎么样	zěnmeyàng	how about	HSK 1
一样	yíyàng	equally	HSK 3
样子	yàngzi	A look	HSK 4
样式	yàngshì	style	HSK 5
榜样	bǎngyàng	example, model	HSK 6
不怎么样	bùzěnmeyàng	not so good, not up to much
抽样	chōuyàng	sampling, to sample	HSK 7-9
多样	duōyàng	diverse, various	HSK 4
各式各样	gèshìgèyàng	all kinds of

Related characters

Don't confuse with

洋

样 (yàng) ≠ 洋

漾

样 (yàng) ≠ 漾

Share the 木 (tree) radical

本běn 来lái 机jī 果根gēn 村cūn 杯校

See all characters with the 木 radical →

Similar meaning (abstract)

不not 大big 公public 分to divide 对correct 定to decide 方direction 得to get

On the new HSK 1 exam

Studying for HSK 1? Keep 样 with the rest of your level.

HSK Lord schedules your reviews so each character comes back right before you would forget it. Free to start, and it picks up where you are.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Reviewed by RJ Murray, Founder, HSK Lord.