俄 meaning and stroke order
Sudden, abrupt; used in transliterations
How to write 俄, stroke by stroke
9 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
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- 9
Meaning of 俄
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- suddenly
- very soon
How 俄 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character.
我 hints at the sound.
Radical: 亻 (man), shared by 277 characters on this site.
How to remember 俄
俄 is a person 亻 next to 我 (wǒ), which gives the sound. Picture a person who says "me" and then suddenly disappears, to remember the old meaning "suddenly".
Today 俄 (é) is mostly used as short for Russia, as in 俄语 (Éyǔ) Russian language and 俄国 (Éguó) Russia. The old sense "suddenly, very soon" appears mainly in literary phrases like 俄而 (é'ér). Example: 她会说俄语。(Tā huì shuō Éyǔ.) She can speak Russian.
Common mistake: Learners often write 我 (wǒ) alone or confuse 俄 with 饿 (è, hungry), which has the food radical 饣 and a fourth tone. 俄 takes the person radical 亻 and a second tone, é.
Common words with 俄
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 俄语 | Éyǔ | Russian (language) | HSK 7-9 |
俄 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 俄
How many strokes are in 俄?
俄 is written with 9 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 俄 mean?
俄 (é) means sudden, abrupt; used in transliterations. A common word with it is 俄语 (Éyǔ), meaning "Russian (language)".
How do you pronounce 俄?
俄 is pronounced é, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 俄?
The radical of 俄 is 亻, which carries the idea of "man". Dictionaries list 俄 under this radical.
Is 俄 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 俄 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the full Chinese name for Russia?
Russia is 俄罗斯 (Éluósī). 俄 is the short form used in compounds like 俄语 (Éyǔ) and 中俄 (Zhōng É), China and Russia.
Is 俄 still used to mean "suddenly" in modern Chinese?
Rarely. You will see it in classical or formal written phrases such as 俄而 (é'ér) or 俄顷 (éqǐng), meaning "in a moment". In everyday speech people use 突然 (tūrán) instead.