Chinese Tattoo 龙: Meaning, Strokes & Design Guide
The character 龙 means "dragon; symbolic of emperor" and is pronounced lóng. Below: its structure, the words it appears in, and how it works as a tattoo.
Quick facts
| Character | 龙 |
| Pinyin | lóng |
| Meaning | dragon; symbolic of emperor |
| Strokes | 5 |
| Radical | ⿓ (No. 212) |
| HSK level | newest-5 |
Words that contain 龙
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 沙龙 | shā lóng | salon (loanword) | newest-7 |
| 恐龙 | kǒng lóng | dinosaur | newest-7 |
| 水龙头 | shuǐ lóng tóu | faucet | newest-7 |
| 尼龙 | ní lóng | nylon (loanword) | new-7 |
| 龙舟 | lóng zhōu | dragon boat | new-7 |
| 跑龙套 | pǎo lóng tào | to play a small role | newest-7 |
Words and levels: HSK vocabulary list · meanings: CC-CEDICT.
Placing 龙
龙 is only 5 strokes, so it stays readable even small — but a simple character shows every wobble. There is nowhere to hide a shaky line here, so line weight and steady spacing matter more than with a dense character. Bring the stencil together with the pinyin and the meaning, and ask the artist to follow the stencil rather than redrawing the character freehand — freehand redrawing is the most common way a correct character loses a stroke and becomes a different one.
Design notes for 龙
龙 appears both on its own and inside compounds, so the sense depends on context; here it reads “dragon; symbolic of emperor”. Regular script (楷书) keeps every stroke countable, which matters when a Chinese reader checks it. Avoid mirroring or rotating the character, and avoid very fine or cursive styles at small sizes, where strokes merge into a shape that reads as a different character.
Frequently asked questions
What does 龙 mean?
龙 (lóng) means “dragon; symbolic of emperor”.
How is 龙 pronounced?
龙 is pronounced lóng in Mandarin.
How many strokes does 龙 have?
龙 has 5 strokes, under the ⿓ radical (No. 212).
How large should a 龙 tattoo be?
With 5 strokes, 龙 is open and holds detail well even at small sizes.
Which style works for 龙?
Bold regular script (楷书) keeps the strokes clear. Semi-cursive (行书) adds flow but softens edges. Seal script looks classical but is harder for most readers to verify — use it only if a native reader has confirmed the rendering.
Is 龙 common in modern Chinese?
Yes — 龙 appears as a standalone HSK vocabulary item (newest-5), and in everyday words such as 沙龙、恐龙、水龙头.
Should I use simplified or traditional 龙?
龙 is written the same in simplified and traditional Chinese, so there is no form to choose.
Want 龙 as a ready-to-use stencil with a native-checked meaning card, sized for your tattoo artist?
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Character data: Unihan (Unicode) · words: HSK vocabulary & CC-CEDICT · How we verify this