宴 meaning and stroke order
Banquet, feast; to entertain
How to write 宴, stroke by stroke
10 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 宴
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (bound form) to entertain at a banquet
- (bound form) banquet; feast
- (literary) peaceful; at ease
- variant of 宴[yan4]
How 宴 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A woman 女 cooking food 日 for a house 宀 banquet.
Radical: 宀 (roof), shared by 67 characters on this site.
How to remember 宴
Under the roof 宀 (house), there is 妟, made of 日 and 女. Picture a woman 女 preparing food 日 inside the house 宀 for a big banquet.
宴 (yàn) is a bound form, so it usually appears in words like 宴会 (yànhuì), 晚宴 (wǎnyàn), and 婚宴 (hūnyàn) rather than alone. These words sound fairly formal. Example: 我们明天去参加婚宴。(Wǒmen míngtiān qù cānjiā hūnyàn.) We are going to a wedding reception tomorrow.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 宴 (yàn) with 晏 (yàn), which has 日 on top and no roof and means late. Remember that a banquet happens inside a house, so 宴 needs the roof 宀.
Common words with 宴
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
宴 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 宴
How many strokes are in 宴?
宴 is written with 10 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 宴 mean?
宴 (yàn) means banquet, feast; to entertain. A common word with it is 宴会 (yànhuì), meaning "banquet; feast".
How do you pronounce 宴?
宴 is pronounced yàn, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 宴?
The radical of 宴 is 宀, which carries the idea of "roof". Dictionaries list 宴 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 宴?
The traditional form of 宴 is 醼. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 宴 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 宴 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 宴 is part of the HSK 6 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 宴会 and 聚会?
宴会 (yànhuì) is a formal banquet with a proper meal, often for an official or special occasion. 聚会 (jùhuì) is a general word for a get-together or party among friends and can be casual.
How do you say to attend or host a banquet?
To attend a banquet is 赴宴 (fùyàn) or 参加宴会 (cānjiā yànhuì). To host one, you can say 设宴 (shèyàn) or 举办宴会 (jǔbàn yànhuì).