总
总 (zǒng) means “always”. It is made of 丷 + 口 + 心 and has 9 strokes, and is an HSK 3 word in the current exam syllabus (2025).
Break 总 into its parts
What 总 is made of
- 丷 ha — kwukyel
- 丶 — dot
- 口 kǒu — mouth
- 冂 — frame
- 丨 — vertical stroke
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 冂 — frame
- 心 xīn — heart
Origin hint: Many mouths 口 speaking with one mind 心 (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
总 stroke order
Example sentences
他总迟到。Tā zǒng chídào.He is always late.
你怎么总不高兴？Nǐ zěnme zǒng bù gāoxìng?Why are you always unhappy?
Words with 总
- 总结zǒngjiéto sum up
- 总是zǒngshìalways
- 总共zǒnggòngaltogether
- 总理zǒnglǐpremier
- 总统zǒngtǒngpresident (of a country)
- 总之zǒngzhīin short
- 总裁zǒngcáipresident (of a company)
- 总算zǒngsuànfinally
- 总而言之zǒng'éryánzhīin short
- 总和zǒnghésum
Also built with 丷
- 产chǎnto give birth
- 兑duìcash
- 关guānto close
- 兼jiānboth
- 半bànhalf
- 单dānlist
- 夹jiāto support
- 平píngflat
- 并bìngand
- 弟dìyoung brother
- 曾céngonce
- 来láito come
Quick facts
| Pinyin | zǒng |
|---|---|
| Meaning | always; total; general |
| Strokes | 9 |
| Radical | 心 (heart, #61) |
| Pattern | Top–middle–bottom |
| HSK | HSK 3 (exam 2025) · HSK 3 (2021) |
Questions about 总
What does 总 mean?
总 (zǒng) means “always; total; general”.
How many strokes does 总 have?
总 has 9 strokes.
What is the radical of 总?
The radical of 总 is 心 (xīn, “heart”), Kangxi radical number 61.
What parts make up 总?
总 is made of 丷 (kwukyel) and 口 (mouth) and 心 (heart).
Which HSK level is 总?
总 is in HSK 3 (exam 2025) and HSK 3 (2021).
Learn 总 with its group
It is part of HSK 3 (2021) · Group 82: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.