章 zhāng — (surname); chapter; seal; section
这本书一共有十章。Zhè běn shū yí gòng yǒu shí zhāng.This book has ten chapters in total.
Common words: 文章 (wén zhāng)、规章 (guī zhāng)、章程 (zhāng chéng)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "chapter"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "chapter", including 章 (zhāng), 篇 (piān), 卷 (juǎn / juàn). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "chapter" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 章 (zhāng), 篇 (piān), 卷 (juǎn / juàn) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span zhāng, piān, juǎn, juàn — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 章 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 章 zhāng(surname); chapter; seal; sectionUseful words: 文章, 规章
- 篇 piānsheet; piece of writing; (a measure word); chapter; articleUseful words: 篇幅, 开篇
- 卷 juǎn / juànto roll (up); to sweep up; to carry on; coil; to roll; chapterUseful words: 试卷, 问卷
Common words for these 3 "chapter" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 章 (zhāng) — so "chapter" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
文章wén zhāngarticle; essay; literary works; writings规章guī zhāngrule; regulation章程zhāng chéngrules; regulations; constitution; statute篇幅piān fulength (of a piece of writing); space occupied on a printed page开篇kāi piānstart of literary work; opening song of ballad in Tanci style 弹词长篇cháng piānlengthy (report or speech)试卷shì juànexamination paper; test paper问卷wèn juànquestionnaire卷入juǎn rùto be drawn into; to be involved in
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 3 ways to say "chapter".
篇 piān — sheet; piece of writing; (a measure word); chapter; article
这篇作文写得很好。Zhè piān zuò wén xiě de hěn hǎo.This essay is well written.
Common words: 篇幅 (piān fu)、开篇 (kāi piān)、长篇 (cháng piān)
卷 juǎn / juàn — to roll (up); to sweep up; to carry on; coil; to roll; chapter
风一吹，地上的落叶卷了起来。Fēng yì chuī, dì shàng de luò yè juǎn le qǐ lái.As the wind blew, the fallen leaves on the ground curled up.
Common words: 试卷 (shì juàn)、问卷 (wèn juàn)、卷入 (juǎn rù)
All 3 characters
Open 章、篇、卷 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.