宜 meaning and stroke order
Fitting, proper, right; what one should do
How to write 宜, 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 宜
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- proper
- should
- suitable
- appropriate
How 宜 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A memorial service 且 held in a house 宀.
Radical: 宀 (roof), shared by 67 characters on this site.
How to remember 宜
Picture a memorial offering 且 set out properly under the roof 宀 of a home. Holding the ceremony in the right place, in the right way, is what is fitting, so 宜 (yí) means proper or suitable.
宜 often appears in fairly formal words like 适宜 (shìyí, suitable) and 不宜 (bùyí, inadvisable), and in the very common everyday word 便宜 (piányi, cheap). Example: 这件衣服很便宜。(Zhè jiàn yīfu hěn piányi.) This piece of clothing is very cheap.
Common mistake: In 便宜 meaning cheap, the tone changes: it is read piányi with a neutral tone on 宜, not biànyí. Learners also mix up 宜 with 宣 (xuān, to declare), which has 亘 under the roof instead of 且.
Common words with 宜
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 便宜 | piányi | convenient | HSK 2 |
| 事宜 | shìyí | matters; arrangements | HSK 7-9 |
| 不宜 | bùyí | not suitable; inadvisable | HSK 7-9 |
| 适宜 | shìyí | suitable; appropriate | HSK 7-9 |
| 便宜货 | piányihuò | a bargain; cheap goods | |
| 占便宜 | zhànpiányi | advantageous; favorable | |
| 不合时宜 | bùhéshíyí | out of step with current thinking; outmoded | |
| 宜人 | yírén | nice; pleasant; charming; hospitable to people |
宜 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 宜
Learning 宜 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 宜
How many strokes are in 宜?
宜 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 宜 mean?
宜 (yí) means fitting, proper, right; what one should do. A common word with it is 便宜 (piányi), meaning "convenient".
How do you pronounce 宜?
宜 is pronounced yí, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 宜?
The radical of 宜 is 宀, which carries the idea of "roof". Dictionaries list 宜 under this radical.
Is 宜 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 宜 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 2.
Does 便宜 always mean cheap?
No. Read as piányi it means cheap or a petty advantage, as in 占便宜 (zhàn piányi, to take advantage). Read as biànyí it means convenient, but that use is mostly formal or written.
Can I use 宜 by itself to mean should?
Yes, but mostly in written or formal Chinese, such as signs and advice: 饭后不宜运动 (fàn hòu bù yí yùndòng, you should not exercise after meals). In everyday speech people usually say 应该 (yīnggāi) instead.