易 meaning and stroke order
To change; to exchange, to trade; simple, easy
How to write 易, 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 易
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- easy
- amiable
- to change
- to exchange
- prefix corresponding to the English adjective suffix "-able" or "-ible"
How 易 is built
Components of the character.
Radical: 日 (sun), shared by 116 characters on this site.
How to remember 易
易 is built from 日 (sun) on top of 勿 (do not). Picture the sun shining above something that keeps shifting under its light, so things change easily.
In modern speech 易 rarely stands alone. It appears in words like 容易 (róngyì, easy) and 贸易 (màoyì, trade), and as a prefix meaning "-able" or "prone to". Example: 这个问题不容易。(Zhège wèntí bù róngyì.) This problem is not easy.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 易 with 昜 (yáng), which has an extra horizontal stroke between 日 and 勿 and appears in characters like 汤 and 场. Also, 好容易 and 好不容易 both mean "with great difficulty", not "very easy".
Common words with 易
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 容易 | róngyì | easy; straightforward; likely; liable to; apt to | HSK 3 |
| 交易 | jiāoyì | to deal; to trade; to transact; transaction; deal | HSK 3 |
| 轻易 | qīngyì | easy; simple; rashly; offhandedly | HSK 4 |
| 贸易 | màoyì | (commercial) trade | HSK 5 |
| 不易 | bùyì | not easy to do sth; difficult | HSK 5 |
| 好不容易 | hǎobùróngyì | with great difficulty; very difficult | HSK 6 |
| 好容易 | hǎoróngyì | (idiomatic usage) with great difficulty; to have a hard time (convincing sb, relinquishing | HSK 6 |
| 显而易见 | xiǎn'éryìjiàn | clearly and easy to see (idiom); obviously; clearly | HSK 7-9 |
| 轻而易举 | qīng'éryìjǔ | easy; with no difficulty | HSK 7-9 |
| 简易 | jiǎnyì | simple and easy; simplistic | HSK 7-9 |
| 易拉罐 | yìlāguàn | pull-top can; easy-open can (with ring-pull) | HSK 7-9 |
| 交易所 | jiāoyìsuǒ | exchange; stock exchange | |
| 易如反掌 | yìrúfǎnzhǎng | easy as a hand's turn (idiom); very easy; no effort at all | |
| 交易员 | jiāoyìyuán | dealer; trader |
易 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 易
Learning 易 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 易
How many strokes are in 易?
易 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 易 mean?
易 (yì) means to change; to exchange, to trade; simple, easy. A common word with it is 容易 (róngyì), meaning "easy; straightforward; likely; liable to; apt to".
How do you pronounce 易?
易 is pronounced yì, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 易?
The radical of 易 is 日, which carries the idea of "sun". Dictionaries list 易 under this radical.
Is 易 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 易 is part of the HSK 3 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 容易 and 简单?
容易 means a task is easy to do or something is likely to happen, as in 容易生病 (easy to get sick). 简单 means simple or uncomplicated in structure, as in 简单的设计 (a simple design).
How is 易 used to mean "-able" or "prone to"?
Placed before a verb, 易 means something easily undergoes that action. For example, 易碎 (yìsuì) means fragile, and 易燃 (yìrán) means flammable. You often see these on warning labels.