How to write 通 (tōng) — Stroke Order, Radical & Practice

tōng to pass through, to open, to connect; to communicate; common 10 strokes · Radical 辶 (to walk) · HSK 4 required writing character

Pronunciation & meaning

Pronounced tōng.

to pass through
to open
to connect
to communicate
common

Stroke Order & Practice

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

Decomposition

通 breaks down into 2 components arranged as Lower-left envelops Inner. Recognizing the components makes the character easier to remember and write.

通 =

辶 outer to walk

甬 inner path

Radical

The radical of 通 is 辶 — meaning to walk. 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: 达连.

How the character is built

通 is a phono-semantic compound. The semantic component 辶 (walk) carries the meaning, while the phonetic component 甬 originally indicated the sound.

HSK 4 Words Containing 通

交通 jiāotōng traffic; transportati on

这里的交通很方便。

Zhèlǐ de jiāotōng hěn fāngbiàn.

The transportation here is very convenient.

普通 pǔtōng ordinary; common; average

他是一个普通的上班族。

Tā shì yí gè pǔtōng de shàngbānzú.

He is an ordinary office worker.

普通话 pǔtōnghuà Mandarin; standard Chinese

他的普通话说得很标准。

Tā de pǔtōnghuà shuō de hěn biāozhǔn.

His Mandarin is very standard.

通 tōng to go through; to connect; thorough

这条路不通。

Zhè tiáo lù bù tōng.

This road is blocked.

通过 tōngguò to pass; through; by means of

他通过了HSK四级考试。

Tā tōngguò le HSK sì jí kǎoshì.

He passed the HSK Level 4 exam.

通知 tōngzhī to notify; notice; notification

学校通知明天放假。

Xuéxiào tōngzhī míngtiān fàngjià.

The school announced a day off tomorrow.

FAQ

What does 通 mean in Chinese?

通 (tōng) means to pass through, to open, to connect; to communicate; common. It is one of the 150 characters required for the HSK 4 writing section.

How many strokes does 通 have?

通 is written in 10 strokes. Use the practice tool above to see the correct stroke order and trace it yourself.

What is the radical of 通?

The radical of 通 is 辶 (to walk). Other HSK 4 characters with the same radical include 达, 连.

What is the pinyin for 通?

通 is pronounced tōng.

What HSK 4 words use 通?

In our HSK 4 vocabulary, 通 appears in 6 words, including 交通 (jiāotōng), 普通 (pǔtōng), 普通话 (pǔtōnghuà), 通 (tōng). See the full list above.