役 meaning and stroke order
Servant, laborer; service; to serve
How to write 役, 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.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
Meaning of 役
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- forced labor
- corvée
- obligatory task
- military service
- to use as servant
- to enserf
How 役 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A person walking over 彳 with food in hand 殳.
Radical: 彳 (to step with the left foot), shared by 42 characters on this site.
How to remember 役
役 combines 彳 (a step, walking) and 殳 (a hand holding something). The data describes a person walking along with food in hand, like a laborer carrying supplies on a long assigned task.
役 rarely stands alone in modern Chinese. It appears in words about duty and service, especially military service, such as 服役 (fúyì), 兵役 (bīngyì) and 退役 (tuìyì). Example: 他去年退役了。(Tā qùnián tuìyì le.) He retired from the army last year.
Common mistake: Learners often write the left side as 亻 (person) instead of 彳 (step), which gives a wrong character. 彳 has two short slanted strokes on top, not one. Also, 役 is fourth tone yì, so do not confuse it with 疫 (yì, epidemic), which sounds the same but uses the sickness radical 疒.
Common words with 役
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
役 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 役
How many strokes are in 役?
役 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 役 mean?
役 (yì) means servant, laborer; service; to serve. A common word with it is 退役 (tuìyì), meaning "(of military personnel or athletes) to retire; (of outdated equipment) to be decommissione".
How do you pronounce 役?
役 is pronounced yì, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 役?
The radical of 役 is 彳, which carries the idea of "to step with the left foot". Dictionaries list 役 under this radical.
Is 役 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 役 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Does 退役 only apply to soldiers?
No. 退役 is also used for professional athletes who retire from competition, and for old equipment like ships or planes that are taken out of service.
What is the difference between 战役 and 战争?
战争 (zhànzhēng) means a whole war. 战役 (zhànyì) means a single military campaign or major battle within a war.