郎 (láng): (arch.) minister, official, noun prefix denoting function or status
郎 (láng) is a Chinese character meaning “(arch.) minister.” Classified as HSK Level 5 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 良 (structural) and 阝 (structural). It ranks #1448 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 郎 a man from a good 良 place 阝; 良 also provides the pronunciation. Its radical form 阝 (mound) appears in many related characters such as 那 (nà, (specifier) that), 都 (dōu, all), 院 (yuàn, courtyard).
Definitions
- (arch.) minister
- official
- noun prefix denoting function or status
Etymology & Origin
ideographicA man from a good 良 place 阝; 良 also provides the pronunciation
Decomposition: ⿰良阝 (layout: left-right)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 郎 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 郎
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 女郎noun | nǚ láng | young woman |
| 伴郎noun | bàn láng | best man |
| 法郎noun | fǎ láng | franc |
| 牛郎proper-noun | niú láng | cowherd boy |
| 江郎才尽phrase | jiāng láng cái jìn | Jiang Yan has exhausted his talent (idiom) |
| 情郎noun | qíng láng | boyfriend |
| 郎君noun | láng jūn | my husband and master (archaic) |
| 令郎noun | lìng láng | your esteemed son (honorific) |
| 郎中noun | láng zhōng | doctor (Chinese medicine) |
| 新郎官noun | xīn láng guān | bridegroom |
| 二郎proper-noun | èr láng | see 二郎神 |
| 二郎腿noun | èr láng tuǐ | one leg over the other (legs crossed) |
| 侍郎noun | shì láng | (Ming and Qing dynasties) vice-minister of one of the Six Boards |
| 夜郎自大phrase | yè láng zì dà | lit. Yelang thinks highly of itself (idiom) |
| 大江健三郎 | dà jiāng jiàn sān láng | Oe Kenzaburo (1935-) Japanese novelist and 1994 Nobel laureate |
郎 appears in 54 compound words: 20 as the first character, 56 as the last, and 24 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 郎 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (8)
Cowherd and Weaving maid (characters in folk story); separated lovers; Altair and Vega (stars)
Cowherd and Weaving maid (characters in folk story); separated lovers; Altair and Vega (stars)
Example Sentences
郎字在不同的语境中有不同的用法。
láng zì zài bù tóng de yǔ jìng zhōng yǒu bù tóng de yòng fǎ .
The character "郎" has different usages in different contexts.
瑞郎坚挺考验瑞士经济
ruì láng jiān tǐng kǎo yàn ruì shì jīng jì
The Swiss franc is a test of the Swiss economy
爱泼斯坦案|惊现霍金被比坚尼女郎簇拥照 遗属称是其护理
ài pō sī tǎn àn jīng xiàn huò jīn bèi bǐ jiān ní nǚ láng cù yōng zhào yí shǔ chèn shì qí hù lǐ
Epstein case|Shocking photo of Hawking being surrounded by bikini girls, the bereaved family said it was his care
距离台湾仅110公里!小泉进次郎:2030年在与那国岛部署防空飞弹
jù lí tái wān jǐn 1 1 0 gōng lǐ ! xiǎo quán jìn cì láng : 2 0 3 0 nián zài yǔ nà guó dǎo bù shǔ fáng kōng fēi dàn
Only 110 km from Taiwan! Shinjiro Koizumi: Anti-aircraft missiles will be deployed on Yonaguni Island in 2030
猫咪“小五郎”前肢伤口深难痊愈 专业兽医移植皮肤手术...
māo 咪 xiǎo wǔ láng qián zhī shāng kǒu shēn nán 痊 yù zhuān yè shòu yī yí zhí pí fū shǒu shù . . .
The cat "Kogoro" forelimb wound is difficult to heal, and the professional veterinarian transplanted skin surgery...
走到哪都看见她!施工外墙必备“神秘女郎” 真实用途超爆笑
zǒu dào nǎ dōu kàn jiàn tā ! shī gōng wài qiáng bì bèi shén mì nǚ láng zhēn shí yòng tú chāo bào xiào
I see her everywhere I go! The construction of exterior walls is a must-have "mystery girl" The real use is super hilarious
谁比较高，肯还是太郎？
Shéi bǐjiào gāo, kěn háishi tài láng?
Who is taller, Ken or Taro?
请诸位斟满酒，为新郎和新娘干杯！
Qǐng zhūwèi zhēn mǎn jiǔ, wèi xīnláng hé xīnniáng gānbēi!
Please charge your glasses and drink a toast to the bride and groom!
太郎有很强的责任感。
Tàiláng yǒu hěn qiáng de zérèngǎn.
Taro has a strong sense of responsibility.
金发女郎比其他颜色头发的女人多赚7％。
Jīnfà nǚláng bǐ qítā yánsè tóufa de nǚrén duō zhuàn 7％.
Blondes earn 7% more than women with any other hair color.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 郎 (láng) mean in Chinese?
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What are the components of 郎?
What are common words containing 郎?
What characters sound the same as 郎 (láng)?
Is 郎 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 郎 with real-time feedback
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