淫 meaning and stroke order
Obscene, licentious, lewd, kinky
How to write 淫, 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.
- 1
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- 11
Meaning of 淫
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- excess
- excessive
- wanton
- lewd
- lascivious
- obscene
How 淫 is built
Components of the character.
Radical: 氵 (water), shared by 467 characters on this site.
How to remember 淫
淫 is water 氵 on the left, with a hand 爫 reaching down over 壬 on the right. Picture water overflowing past its limit while a hand keeps reaching for more, which fits the core idea of excess that turns into wanton or lewd behavior.
淫 almost never stands alone in modern Chinese. It appears in compounds about sexual immorality or indecency, often in legal, news, or moral contexts, such as 卖淫 (màiyín) prostitution and 淫秽 (yínhuì) obscene. Example: 网上不能传播淫秽内容。(Wǎngshàng bù néng chuánbō yínhuì nèiróng.) Obscene content may not be spread online.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 淫 with 浮 (fú, to float), since both have 氵 and 爫 on top, but 浮 has 子 underneath while 淫 has 壬. Also keep the second tone in yín. It is not yìn or yīn.
Common words with 淫
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 手淫 | shǒuyín | to masturbate; masturbation | |
| 淫荡 | yíndàng | loose in morals; lascivious | |
| 卖淫 | màiyín | prostitution; to prostitute oneself | |
| 淫秽 | yínhuì | obscene; indecent; bawdy | |
| 淫妇 | yínfù | loose woman; prostitute | |
| 淫乱 | yínluàn | promiscuous | |
| 意淫 | yìyín | to fantasize; (esp.) to have a sexual fantasy about (sb) |
淫 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 淫
How many strokes are in 淫?
淫 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 淫 mean?
淫 (yín) means obscene, licentious, lewd, kinky. A common word with it is 手淫 (shǒuyín), meaning "to masturbate; masturbation".
How do you pronounce 淫?
淫 is pronounced yín, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 淫?
The radical of 淫 is 氵, which carries the idea of "water". Dictionaries list 淫 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 淫?
The traditional form of 淫 is 滛. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 淫 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Does 淫 always have a sexual meaning?
In everyday modern Chinese it usually does. Its older sense is simply excess, which survives in literary phrases like 淫雨 (yínyǔ), meaning excessive, prolonged rain.
Is 淫 a rude or vulgar word to use?
It is not a swear word, and it appears in formal and legal terms like 卖淫 and 淫秽. However, words such as 淫妇 are insulting, so use them carefully and avoid them in polite conversation.