咏 meaning and stroke order
To sing, to hum, to chant
How to write 咏, stroke by stroke
8 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
- 7
- 8
Meaning of 咏
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to sing
How 咏 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Mouth.
口 gives the meaning and 永 hints at the sound.
Radical: 口 (mouth), shared by 428 characters on this site.
How to remember 咏
咏 is a mouth 口 next to 永 (yǒng), which gives the sound. Picture a mouth singing one long note that seems to last forever, since 永 means forever.
咏 is a literary word for chanting or singing, often about praising something in poetry or song. It appears mostly in set words like 歌咏 (gēyǒng) and 咏叹调 (yǒngtàndiào). Example: 这首诗咏的是春天。(Zhè shǒu shī yǒng de shì chūntiān.) This poem sings of spring.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 咏 with 泳 (yǒng, to swim) because they share 永 and the same pronunciation. Remember that the mouth 口 is for singing and the water radical 氵 is for swimming.
Common words with 咏
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 歌咏 | gēyǒng | to sing | HSK 7-9 |
| 咏春 | yǒngchūn | Wing Chun; same as 詠春拳|咏春拳[yong3 chun1 quan2] | |
| 咏叹调 | yǒngtàndiào | aria |
Questions about 咏
How many strokes are in 咏?
咏 is written with 8 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 咏 mean?
咏 (yǒng) means to sing, to hum, to chant. A common word with it is 歌咏 (gēyǒng), meaning "to sing".
How do you pronounce 咏?
咏 is pronounced yǒng, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 咏?
The radical of 咏 is 口, which carries the idea of "mouth". Dictionaries list 咏 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 咏?
The traditional form of 咏 is 詠. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 咏 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 咏 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 咏 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What does 咏春 mean?
咏春 (yǒngchūn) is the name of the martial art Wing Chun. The full name is 咏春拳 (yǒngchūnquán).
Can I use 咏 to say I am singing a pop song?
Not usually. For everyday singing, use 唱 (chàng), as in 唱歌 (chàng gē). 咏 sounds formal and poetic.