杨 meaning and stroke order
Willow, poplar, aspen; surname
How to write 杨, 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.
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Meaning of 杨
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- poplar
How 杨 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Tree.
木 gives the meaning.
Radical: 木 (tree), shared by 388 characters on this site.
How to remember 杨
杨 (yáng) has the tree radical 木 on the left, telling you it is a kind of tree, and the right side gives the sound yáng. Picture a tall poplar standing beside the tree sign.
杨 appears in tree names like 杨树 (yángshù, poplar tree), but you will meet it most often as a very common surname. Example: 我的老师姓杨。(Wǒ de lǎoshī xìng Yáng.) My teacher's surname is Yang.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 杨 (yáng) with 扬 (yáng, to raise), which has the hand radical 扌 instead of the tree radical 木. Both have the same sound, so check the left side: a surname or tree takes 木.
Common words with 杨
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 杨树 | yángshù | poplar tree; various trees of genus Populus | HSK 7-9 |
杨 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 杨
How many strokes are in 杨?
杨 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 杨 mean?
杨 (yáng) means willow, poplar, aspen; surname. A common word with it is 杨树 (yángshù), meaning "poplar tree; various trees of genus Populus".
How do you pronounce 杨?
杨 is pronounced yáng, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 杨?
The radical of 杨 is 木, which carries the idea of "tree". Dictionaries list 杨 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 杨?
The traditional form of 杨 is 楊. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 杨 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 杨 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 杨 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Is 杨 the same as 柳 for willow?
Not quite. 柳 (liǔ) is the usual word for willow, while 杨 mainly means poplar. The two often appear together in 杨柳 (yángliǔ), a poetic phrase for willows.
How do I say the surname 杨 politely?
Add a title after it, for example 杨先生 (Yáng xiānsheng, Mr. Yang) or 杨老师 (Yáng lǎoshī, Teacher Yang). To ask someone's surname you can say 您贵姓 (nín guì xìng) and they may answer 我姓杨 (wǒ xìng Yáng).