元 meaning and stroke order
Currency unit (esp. Chinese yuan); (bound form) first; original; primary; (bound form) basic; fundamental
How to write 元, stroke by stroke
4 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
Meaning of 元
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- currency unit (esp. Chinese yuan)
- (bound form) first; original; primary
- (bound form) basic; fundamental
- (bound form) constituent; part
- (prefix) meta-
- (math.) argument; variable
How 元 is built
Pictographic character. A man 儿 with two lines emphasizing their head 二.
Radical: 儿 (son), shared by 24 characters on this site.
How to remember 元
元 is a person 儿 at the bottom with two lines 二 on top marking the head. The head comes first, so 元 means first, origin, and head.
In daily life 元 (yuán) is most often the unit of Chinese money, and it also appears in words like 美元 (měiyuán) US dollar and 元旦 (Yuándàn) New Year's Day. Example: 这本书二十元。(Zhè běn shū èrshí yuán.) This book costs twenty yuan.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 元 with 无 (wú, without), which has a similar top but a different bottom stroke that crosses through. Also, 元 and 园 (yuán, garden) sound the same, so do not write 元 when you mean 公园 (gōngyuán) park, which is different from 公元 (gōngyuán) CE.
Common words with 元
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 美元 | měiyuán | American dollar; US dollar | HSK 3 |
| 单元 | dānyuán | unit (forming an entity); element | HSK 3 |
| 公元 | gōngyuán | CE (Common Era); Christian Era | HSK 4 |
| 元旦 | Yuándàn | New Year's Day | HSK 5 |
| 元素 | yuánsù | element (key component of sth); (chemistry) element | HSK 6 |
| 元首 | yuánshǒu | head of state | HSK 7-9 |
| 元老 | yuánlǎo | senior figure; doyen; founding member; veteran | HSK 7-9 |
| 状元 | zhuàngyuan | top scorer in the palace examination (highest rank of the Imperial examination system); se | HSK 7-9 |
| 多元 | duōyuán | poly-; multi- | HSK 7-9 |
| 元宵节 | Yuánxiāo Jié | Lantern Festival, the final event of the Spring Festival 春節|春节, on 15th of first month of | HSK 7-9 |
| 欧元 | ōuyuán | euro (currency) | |
| 元帅 | yuánshuài | (military) marshal; commander-in-chief | |
| 日元 | rìyuán | yen (currency of Japan) | |
| 公元前 | gōngyuánqián | BCE (before the Common Era); BC (before Christ) |
元 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 元
Learning 元 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 元
How many strokes are in 元?
元 is written with 4 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 元 mean?
元 (yuán) means currency unit (esp. Chinese yuan); (bound form) first; original; primary; (bound form) basic; fundamental. A common word with it is 美元 (měiyuán), meaning "American dollar; US dollar".
How do you pronounce 元?
元 is pronounced yuán, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 元?
The radical of 元 is 儿, which carries the idea of "son". Dictionaries list 元 under this radical.
Is 元 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 元 is part of the HSK 1 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 2.
What is the difference between 元 and 块 for money?
Both mean the basic unit of Chinese currency. 元 (yuán) is used in writing, on price tags and in formal speech, while 块 (kuài) is the everyday spoken word. You might see 十元 on a sign but hear 十块 at the market.
Why is New Year's Day called 元旦?
元 means first and 旦 (dàn) means dawn or day, so 元旦 is the first day of the year. In modern China it refers to January 1, not the Lunar New Year, which is called 春节 (Chūnjié).