叶 meaning and stroke order
Leaf, page; surname
How to write 叶, stroke by stroke
5 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
Meaning of 叶
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to be in harmony
- leaf
- page
- lobe
- (historical) period
- classifier for small boats
How 叶 is built
Components of the character.
Radical: 口 (mouth), shared by 428 characters on this site.
How to remember 叶
叶 is built from 口 (mouth) and 十 (ten). Picture a mouth next to a little plus-shaped sprout, like a leaf on a stem that you could nibble.
叶 (yè) usually appears inside words rather than alone, most often 叶子 (yèzi, leaf), 树叶 (shùyè, tree leaves) and 茶叶 (cháyè, tea leaves). Leaves are counted with 片 (piàn). Example: 秋天树叶都黄了。(Qiūtiān shùyè dōu huáng le.) In autumn the leaves all turn yellow.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 叶 with 古 (gǔ, ancient), which stacks 十 on top of 口 instead of placing them side by side. In 叶 the 口 is on the left and 十 is on the right.
Common words with 叶
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
叶 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 叶
How many strokes are in 叶?
叶 is written with 5 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 叶 mean?
叶 (yè) means leaf, page; surname. A common word with it is 叶子 (yèzi), meaning "leaf (CL:片[pian4]); (slang) marijuana".
How do you pronounce 叶?
叶 is pronounced yè, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 叶?
The radical of 叶 is 口, which carries the idea of "mouth". Dictionaries list 叶 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 叶?
The traditional form of 叶 is 葉. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 叶 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 叶 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 叶 is part of the HSK 4 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
Does 茶叶 mean the drink tea?
茶叶 (cháyè) means the dry tea leaves you buy or brew. The drink itself is usually just 茶 (chá), as in 喝茶 (hē chá), to drink tea.
Is 叶 ever read xié?
Yes, in the literary sense of being in harmony, read xié. This reading is rare in everyday Chinese, so yè is the one you will use almost all the time, including for the surname 叶 (Yè).