增 zēng — increase, add · English

增

zēng

increase, add

At a glance · 增

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

小篆从土曾声，形声字，本指加高、加多。隶楷作「增」。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「增」本指增益、加多，与「减」相对。

Structure

形声字，土为意符，曾为声符。

At a glance

Pinyinzēng

Radical土

Strokes15

UnicodeU+589E

Character type形声

Theme动作

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English increase, add To increase, add, augment.

Français augmenter, ajouter Augmenter, ajouter, accroître.

Español aumentar, añadir Aumentar, añadir, acrecentar.

العربية يزيد، يضيف يزيد أو يضيف.

Русский увеличивать, добавлять Увеличивать, добавлять, прибавлять.

Common words

增加zēng jiāincrease
增zēngadd

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