园 meaning and stroke order
Land used for growing plants; site used for public recreation; abbr. for a place ending in 園|园, such as a botanical garden 植物園|植物园, kindergarten 幼兒園|幼儿园 etc
How to write 园, stroke by stroke
7 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 园
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- land used for growing plants
- site used for public recreation
- abbr. for a place ending in 園|园, such as a botanical garden 植物園|植物园, kindergarten 幼兒園|幼儿园 etc
How 园 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Enclosure.
囗 gives the meaning and 元 hints at the sound.
Radical: 囗 (enclosure), shared by 39 characters on this site.
How to remember 园
The outer box 囗 is an enclosure, like a fence around a piece of land. Inside sits 元 (yuán), which gives the sound, so a fenced space that sounds like yuán is a garden or park.
园 rarely stands alone in modern speech. It usually ends a word naming a place with plants or a set purpose, like 公园 (gōngyuán) park, 动物园 (dòngwùyuán) zoo, or 幼儿园 (yòu'éryuán) kindergarten. Example: 我们周末去公园散步。(Wǒmen zhōumò qù gōngyuán sànbù.) We take a walk in the park on weekends.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 园 (yuán, garden) with 圆 (yuán, round), which has the same sound and the same 囗 box but 员 inside. Remember that 公园 is a park, while 圆 is used for circles, as in 圆形 (yuánxíng).
Common words with 园
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 公园 | gōngyuán | park (for public recreation) | HSK 2 |
| 花园 | huāyuán | garden (for flowers, ornamental plants etc); (landscaped) park; yard with decorative plant | HSK 2 |
| 动物园 | dòngwùyuán | zoo | HSK 2 |
| 校园 | xiàoyuán | campus | HSK 2 |
| 幼儿园 | yòu'éryuán | kindergarten; nursery school | HSK 4 |
| 园林 | yuánlín | gardens; park; landscape garden | HSK 5 |
| 家园 | jiāyuán | home; homeland | HSK 6 |
| 园地 | yuándì | garden area | HSK 6 |
| 庄园 | zhuāngyuán | manor; feudal land | HSK 7-9 |
| 乐园 | lèyuán | paradise | HSK 7-9 |
| 果园 | guǒyuán | orchard | HSK 7-9 |
| 学园 | xuéyuán | academy; campus | |
| 园丁 | yuándīng | gardener | |
| 游乐园 | yóulèyuán | amusement park |
园 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 园
How many strokes are in 园?
园 is written with 7 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 园 mean?
园 (yuán) means land used for growing plants; site used for public recreation; abbr. for a place ending in 園|园, such as a botanical garden 植物園|植物园, kindergarten 幼兒園|幼儿园 etc. A common word with it is 公园 (gōngyuán), meaning "park (for public recreation)".
How do you pronounce 园?
园 is pronounced yuán, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 园?
The radical of 园 is 囗, which carries the idea of "enclosure". Dictionaries list 园 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 园?
The traditional form of 园 is 園. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 园 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 园 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 园 is part of the HSK 2 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
What is the difference between 园 and 院?
园 (yuán) is land with plants or a public recreation area, like 花园 (huāyuán). 院 (yuàn) is a courtyard or an institution, like 医院 (yīyuàn) hospital or 学院 (xuéyuàn) college.
Why is kindergarten called 幼儿园?
幼儿 (yòu'ér) means young children, and 园 marks the place where they are cared for. The dictionary notes that 园 is commonly used as the final part of place names like this, so 幼儿园 is literally a garden for young children.