伊 meaning and stroke order
He she; this, that; used in transliterations
How to write 伊, stroke by stroke
6 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Meaning of 伊
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (old) third person singular pronoun ("he" or "she")
- second person singular pronoun ("you")
- (May 4th period) third person singular feminine pronoun ("she")
- (Classical Chinese) introductory particle with no specific meaning
- (preceding a noun) that
- (bound form) Iraq (abbr. for 伊拉克[Yi1 la1 ke4])
How 伊 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Person.
亻 gives the meaning and 尹 hints at the sound.
Radical: 亻 (man), shared by 277 characters on this site.
How to remember 伊
伊 combines the person radical 亻 with 尹 (yǐn), which gives the sound. Picture a person 亻 standing next to you and pointing: "that one, him or her."
Today 伊 appears mostly in transliterations of foreign names, such as 伊拉克 (Yīlākè, Iraq), 伊朗 (Yīlǎng, Iran) and 伊斯兰教 (Yīsīlánjiào, Islam). As a pronoun for "he" or "she" it sounds old or literary, though you may see it in older writing. Example: 他在伊朗工作。(Tā zài Yīlǎng gōngzuò.) He works in Iran.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 伊 with 尹 (yǐn) or with 君 (jūn), which share the 尹 part. Remember that 伊 has the person radical 亻 on the left and is first tone yī, not third tone like 尹.
Common words with 伊
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
伊 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 伊
Learning 伊 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 伊
How many strokes are in 伊?
伊 is written with 6 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 伊 mean?
伊 (yī) means he she; this, that; used in transliterations. A common word with it is 伊斯兰教 (Yīsīlánjiào), meaning "Islam".
How do you pronounce 伊?
伊 is pronounced yī, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 伊?
The radical of 伊 is 亻, which carries the idea of "man". Dictionaries list 伊 under this radical.
Is 伊 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 伊 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Should I use 伊 instead of 他 or 她 in modern Chinese?
No. In everyday Mandarin, use 他 (tā) or 她 (tā). 伊 as a pronoun belongs to older or literary texts, especially writing from the May 4th period, where it often meant "she."
Why does 伊 appear in so many country and religion names?
Its sound yī is a handy match for the "i" or "ee" sound at the start of foreign words. That is why you see it in 伊拉克 (Iraq), 伊朗 (Iran), 伊斯兰教 (Islam) and even 木乃伊 (mùnǎiyī, mummy). On its own, 伊 can also be short for Iraq.