---
title: "Xiangqi FEN: How Positions Are Written Down · Xiangqi Master"
description: "Yes. Xiangqi uses a FEN-style position string with ten ranks instead of eight and extra piece letters for the cannon, advisor and elephant."
url: https://xiangqimaster.com/blog/what-is-fen-in-xiangqi
updated: 2026-09-22
source: Xiangqi Master (https://xiangqimaster.com)
license: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
---

# Does xiangqi have FEN like chess?

These answers restate the rules implemented by our open-source engine, which follows the WXF laws and is regression-tested against the official 110-diagram repetition casebook. Where an answer refers to a specific position, that position lives on the linked reference page, where the build verifies it against the engine before publishing.

> Direct answer
>
> **Yes.** Xiangqi uses a FEN-style string built the same way as chess FEN: ranks separated by slashes, digits for runs of empty points, letters for pieces, uppercase for Red and lowercase for Black. The differences are **ten ranks rather than eight** and extra letters for the pieces chess does not have.

## The piece letters

`K` general, `A` advisor, `B` or `E` elephant, `N` or `H` horse, `R` chariot, `C` cannon, `P` soldier. Uppercase is Red, lowercase is Black. Which letters a given tool uses for the elephant and horse varies, which is the main portability snag between programs.

## What it is for

Sharing a single position without the moves that led to it — puzzles, diagrams, engine input. Every board on this site is defined by a FEN string, and the build runs each one through the rules engine before publishing the page it sits on.

## Related questions

Is xiangqi FEN standardised?

Loosely. The structure is consistent; the letters for horse and elephant vary between implementations.

Does it include whose move it is?

Yes, a `w` or `b` field after the board, the same as chess FEN.

## Related xiangqi resources

Reading notation

炮二平五 and C2=5 — the same move, two ways

Analyse your games

Take any position apart with engine support

Editorial standards

How these answers are checked

## Try it on a real board

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