强 (qiáng) means stubborn; unyielding; strong. Simplified form has 12 strokes under radical 弓.
Strongly avoid 强 as a modern Chinese name! Names like 志强 or 小强 carry heavy 1970s–1980s nostalgia—and '小强' is even famous Hong Kong slang for a cockroach. Choose 毅 or 恒 instead!
Native speakers perceive standalone 强 as too literal/textbook (and it also reads jiàng meaning 'stubborn'). Use 自强 (self-strengthening) from the I Ching instead.
Origin & Visual Logic: Bow radical (弓) beside 虽: a strong bow drawn taut with resilient tension.
| Traditional / Simplified | Pinyin | CC-CEDICT Definitions |
|---|---|---|
| 強 / 强 | jiàng | stubborn; unyielding |
| 強 / 强 | qiáng | strong; powerful; better |
| 強 / 强 | qiǎng | to force; to compel; to strive |
Lexical entries derived from CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Make Me a Hanzi (APL / LGPL-3.0).
| Chinese Word | Pinyin | English Meaning | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| 强大 | qiángdà | powerful and formidable | |
| 自强 | zìqiáng | striving relentlessly to improve oneself | |
| 坚强 | jiānqiáng | resilient and strong-willed |
"强" has 12 strokes in Simplified Chinese (Traditional form: 強). Its primary dictionary radical is 弓, and you can animate or practice writing every stroke in order using the interactive grid on this page.
Rating: Use with Caution (Masculine-leaning). Strongly avoid 强 as a modern Chinese name! Names like 志强 or 小强 carry heavy 1970s–1980s nostalgia—and '小强' is even famous Hong Kong slang for a cockroach. Choose 毅 or 恒 instead!
Tattoo rating: Caution Alone. Native speakers perceive standalone 强 as too literal/textbook (and it also reads jiàng meaning 'stubborn'). Use 自强 (self-strengthening) from the I Ching instead.
