通 tōng — pass through · English

通

tōng

pass through

At a glance · 通

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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.

「通」从辵甬声，小篆从辵通声，形声清晰。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「通」本义为通达、通行，引申通晓、通知、普通。

Structure

从辵、甬声，形声字，辵表行走义类，甬表音，本为通达。

At a glance

Pinyintōng

Radical辶

Strokes11

UnicodeU+901A

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 pass through pass through; common; communicate

Français communiquer / relié Communiquer, relié. «右通广内» : relié au palais Guangnei.

Español comunicar / conectado Comunicar, conectado. «右通广内»: enlazado al palacio Guangnei.

العربية يتصل / موصول يتصل، موصول. «右通广内»: موصول بقصر غوانغ-نوي.

Русский сообщаться / связан Сообщаться, связан. «右通广内»: связан с дворцом Гуан-нэй.

Common words

通过tōng guòpass
通知tōng zhīnotify

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