童 (tóng) — HSK 4 Recognition Character: Meaning, Radical & Stroke Order

tóng child, boy; servant boy; virgin 12 strokes · Radical 立 (to stand) · HSK 4 recognition character (认读字)

👁 Recognition only: the official HSK 4 syllabus asks you to recognize 童 when reading — handwriting it is not required (that applies to the 150 writing characters). The stroke animation below is optional but helps memory.

Pronunciation & meaning

Pronounced tóng.

child
boy
servant boy
virgin

Stroke Order & Practice

Click Animate to see the correct stroke order, then Practice to trace it yourself.

童 — 12 strokes, numbered in writing order. 笔顺图（数字为下笔顺序）。

Decomposition

童 breaks down into 2 components arranged as Top + Bottom. Recognizing the components makes the character easier to remember and write.

童 =

立 top to stand

里 bottom unit of distance equal to 0.5km

Radical

The radical of 童 is 立 — meaning to stand. Radicals are the indexing components used in Chinese dictionaries; they often hint at a character's broad meaning category.

Other HSK 4 characters that share this radical: 章竞竟亲.

How the character is built

童 is an ideographic compound — its meaning is suggested by the combination of its parts rather than by sound. A child standing 立 in the village 里.

HSK 4 Words Containing 童

儿童 értóng child; children

这是一部儿童电影。

Zhè shì yí bù értóng diànyǐng.

This is a children's movie.

童年 tóngnián childhood

他在农村度过了快乐的童年。

Tā zài nóngcūn dùguò le kuàilè de tóngnián.

He spent a happy childhood in the countryside.

Seen in the Real Exams / 真题例句

童 appears in 15 questions across the 19 mock & official HSK 4 exams on this site. Real exam sentences using it:

按照规定，儿童乘坐飞机也需要购买机票。

From Mock Exam 19 →

Tasks Featuring 童 / 相关任务

Words containing 童 appear in these official HSK 4 task scenarios — study the character in context:

📚 谈论情感话题

Discuss Emotions · 儿童、童年

FAQ

What does 童 mean in Chinese?

童 (tóng) means child, boy; servant boy; virgin. It is one of the 441 characters HSK 4 requires you to recognize when reading (认读字).

How many strokes does 童 have?

童 is written in 12 strokes. Use the practice tool above to see the correct stroke order and trace it yourself.

What is the radical of 童?

The radical of 童 is 立 (to stand). Other HSK 4 characters with the same radical include 章, 竞, 竟, 亲.

What is the pinyin for 童?

童 is pronounced tóng.

What HSK 4 words use 童?

In our HSK 4 vocabulary, 童 appears in 2 words, including 儿童 (értóng), 童年 (tóngnián). See the full list above.