羊 meaning and stroke order
Sheep; goat
How to write 羊, stroke by stroke
6 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
Meaning of 羊
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- sheep; goat
How 羊 is built
Pictographic character. A sheep's head with horns.
How to remember 羊
羊 (yáng) is a picture of a sheep's head. The two dots of 丷 on top are the horns, and the horizontal lines with the long vertical stroke form the face.
羊 covers both sheep and goats, so Chinese often adds a word to be clear: 绵羊 (miányáng) is a sheep and 山羊 (shānyáng) is a goat. It also appears in food and material words like 羊肉 (yángròu, mutton) and 羊毛 (yángmáo, wool). Example: 我不吃羊肉。(Wǒ bù chī yángròu.) I don't eat lamb.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 羊 with 半 (bàn, half) or 美 (měi, beautiful). 羊 has three horizontal lines and a vertical stroke that goes all the way through. 半 has only two horizontal lines, and 美 has a 大 at the bottom instead of a long vertical stroke.
Common words with 羊
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 亡羊补牢 | wángyáng-bǔláo | lit. to mend the pen after sheep are lost (idiom); fig. to act belatedly | HSK 7-9 |
| 山羊 | shānyáng | goat; (gymnastics) small-sized vaulting horse | |
| 羔羊 | gāoyáng | sheep; lamb | |
| 牧羊人 | mùyángrén | shepherd | |
| 羊肉 | yángròu | mutton; goat meat | |
| 羊毛 | yángmáo | wool; fleece | |
| 替罪羊 | tìzuìyáng | scapegoat | |
| 绵羊 | miányáng | sheep | |
| 羊群 | yángqún | flock of sheep | |
| 羚羊 | língyáng | antelope | |
| 羊羔 | yánggāo | lamb | |
| 羊水 | yángshuǐ | amniotic fluid | |
| 小羊 | xiǎoyáng | lamb | |
| 牧羊犬 | mùyángquǎn | sheepdog |
羊 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 羊
Learning 羊 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 羊
How many strokes are in 羊?
羊 is written with 6 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 羊 mean?
羊 (yáng) means sheep; goat. A common word with it is 亡羊补牢 (wángyáng-bǔláo), meaning "lit. to mend the pen after sheep are lost (idiom); fig. to act belatedly".
How do you pronounce 羊?
羊 is pronounced yáng, in the second tone (rising).
Is 羊 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 羊 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 2.
What does the idiom 亡羊补牢 mean?
It literally means to mend the pen after the sheep are lost. It can describe acting too late, but people also use it to say that fixing a problem after a loss is still worthwhile.
What measure word is used with 羊?
The most common measure word is 只 (zhī), as in 一只羊 (yì zhī yáng), one sheep. For a flock, use 群 (qún): 一群羊 (yì qún yáng).