艳 meaning and stroke order
Beautiful, glamorous, sexy, voluptuous
How to write 艳, stroke by stroke
10 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 艳
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- bright; fresh and attractive; glamorous
- (bound form) amorous; romantic
- (literary) to admire; to envy
- variant of 豔|艳[yan4]
- old variant of 豔|艳[yan4]
How 艳 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. Lush 丰 and sexy 色.
Radical: 色 (color), shared by 4 characters on this site.
How to remember 艳
On the left is 丰 (fēng), meaning lush or full, and on the right is 色 (sè), meaning color or looks. Full, rich color gives you 艳 (yàn): something bright, vivid, and eye-catching.
艳 usually appears in compound words rather than alone. It describes bright colors, as in 鲜艳 (xiānyàn), or striking beauty, as in 美艳 (měiyàn). Example: 这件衣服的颜色很鲜艳。(Zhè jiàn yīfu de yánsè hěn xiānyàn.) The color of this piece of clothing is very bright.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes write the left side as 丯 or 主 instead of 丰. The three horizontal strokes and the single vertical line through them must be clear. Also watch the tone: it is fourth tone yàn, not yán like 颜 (yán, color, face).
Common words with 艳
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
艳 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 艳
How many strokes are in 艳?
艳 is written with 10 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 艳 mean?
艳 (yàn) means beautiful, glamorous, sexy, voluptuous. A common word with it is 鲜艳 (xiānyàn), meaning "bright-colored; gaily-colored".
How do you pronounce 艳?
艳 is pronounced yàn, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 艳?
The radical of 艳 is 色, which carries the idea of "color". Dictionaries list 艳 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 艳?
The traditional form of 艳 is 艶, 艷, 豓 and 豔. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 艳 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 艳 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 艳 is part of the HSK 5 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Is 艳 a compliment or does it sound too sexual?
It depends on the word. 鲜艳 for colors is completely neutral, and 惊艳 is a strong compliment. Words like 艳舞 (erotic dance) and 艳遇 (romantic encounter) carry a romantic or sexual tone, so choose carefully when describing people.
What does 惊艳 mean in everyday speech?
惊艳 (jīngyàn) means to be amazed by how impressive or beautiful something is. People use it for outfits, performances, food, or designs, for example 她的表演让人惊艳 (Tā de biǎoyǎn ràng rén jīngyàn), Her performance was stunning.