崖 meaning and stroke order
Cliff, precipice; precipitous
How to write 崖, stroke by stroke
11 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 崖
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- precipice; cliff
- Taiwan pr. [yai2]
How 崖 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A mountain 山 precipice 厓; 厓 also provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 山 (mountain), shared by 111 characters on this site.
How to remember 崖
Put a mountain 山 on top of 厓 (yá), a steep cliff edge, and you get 崖 (yá), a mountain cliff. The 厂 shape inside looks like a rock overhang, with 圭 piled up below it.
崖 almost always appears in compound words rather than standing alone. The most common is 悬崖 (xuányá), a sheer or overhanging cliff. Example: 别站在悬崖边上。(Bié zhàn zài xuányá biān shang.) Don't stand at the edge of the cliff.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 崖 with 涯 (yá), as in 天涯 (tiānyá, the ends of the earth), because they sound the same. Remember that 崖 with 山 is a rocky cliff, and 涯 with water 氵 is a shore or a far boundary.
Common words with 崖
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 悬崖 | xuányá | precipice; overhanging cliff | HSK 7-9 |
崖 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 崖
How many strokes are in 崖?
崖 is written with 11 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 崖 mean?
崖 (yá) means cliff, precipice; precipitous. A common word with it is 悬崖 (xuányá), meaning "precipice; overhanging cliff".
How do you pronounce 崖?
崖 is pronounced yá, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 崖?
The radical of 崖 is 山, which carries the idea of "mountain". Dictionaries list 崖 under this radical.
Is 崖 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 崖 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Why does the dictionary say 崖 is pronounced yái in Taiwan?
In Taiwan the traditional reading of 崖 is yái, with a second tone. In mainland Mandarin and in most textbooks the standard reading is yá, so learners can safely use yá.
What does 悬崖勒马 mean?
悬崖勒马 (xuányá lè mǎ) literally means to rein in your horse at the edge of a cliff. It is used figuratively to mean stopping a bad course of action just before disaster.