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How to write 从

Animated stroke order. Tap a character to replay its stroke order.

从 is listed in the official HSK vocabulary at HSK 2. An elementary band: common words for simple everyday exchanges.

从 in a sentence

• 我wǒ从cóng美měi国guó来lái。

  I come from America.

• 从cóng这zhè里lǐ到dào学xué校xiào很hěn近jìn。

  It is close from here to school.

• 他tā从cóng包bāo里lǐ拿ná出chū一yī本běn书shū。

  He took a book out from his bag.

从 vs 离 vs 自

Similar and easily confused words, and how they differ.

• 离 lí away from

  States distance between things — 我家离学校很远 'my home is far from school'. 从 marks a starting point for motion or time.

• 自 zì from (written)

  Literary 'from' — 自古以来 'since ancient times'. 从 is the spoken standard.