沅 meaning and stroke order
A river in western Hunan
How to write 沅, 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
How 沅 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Water.
氵 gives the meaning and 元 hints at the sound.
Radical: 氵 (water), shared by 467 characters on this site.
How to remember 沅
The water radical 氵 on the left tells you this is a river, and 元 (yuán) on the right gives the sound. Picture a river named Yuán flowing beside the character 元.
沅 is mainly used for the 沅江 (Yuán Jiāng), a river in western Hunan, and appears in place names and personal names. It is also known from the classical phrase 沅芷澧兰, which praises noble character. Example: 沅江流经湖南西部。(Yuánjiāng liú jīng Húnán xībù.) The Yuan River flows through western Hunan.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 沅 with 远 (yuǎn, far), which has the same 元 but a walking radical 辶 and a third tone. Remember that 沅 has water on the left and a second tone.
Questions about 沅
How many strokes are in 沅?
沅 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 沅 mean?
沅 (yuán) means a river in western Hunan.
How do you pronounce 沅?
沅 is pronounced yuán, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 沅?
The radical of 沅 is 氵, which carries the idea of "water". Dictionaries list 沅 under this radical.
Is 沅 used in people's names?
Yes. Because it sounds like 元 and carries a gentle water image, 沅 is sometimes chosen for given names, especially for girls.
What other characters use 元 as a sound part?
Several characters read yuán or wán with 元 as the phonetic, such as 园 (yuán, garden), 原 is unrelated, but 玩 (wán, play) and 完 (wán, finish) do use 元. Knowing this pattern helps you guess pronunciations.