艺 meaning and stroke order
Art; talent, ability; craft
How to write 艺, stroke by stroke
4 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
Meaning of 艺
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- skill
- art
How 艺 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Grass.
艹 gives the meaning and 乙 hints at the sound.
Radical: 艹 (grass), shared by 421 characters on this site.
How to remember 艺
艺 has grass 艹 on top and 乙 (yǐ) below, which gives the sound. Picture a skilled gardener bending a hooked tool like 乙 to shape the grass into art.
艺 rarely appears alone and usually shows up in words about art, skill, or performance, such as 艺术 (yìshù, art), 手艺 (shǒuyì, craftsmanship), and 艺人 (yìrén, entertainer). Example: 她的手艺很好。(Tā de shǒuyì hěn hǎo.) Her craftsmanship is very good.
Common mistake: Learners often write the bottom part as 已 or 己 instead of the single hooked stroke 乙. Another trap is tone: 艺 is fourth tone yì, while its phonetic 乙 is third tone yǐ.
Common words with 艺
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 艺术 | yìshù | art | HSK 3 |
| 工艺 | gōngyì | arts and crafts; industrial arts | HSK 5 |
| 文艺 | wényì | literature and art | HSK 5 |
| 工艺品 | gōngyìpǐn | handicraft article; handiwork | HSK 5 |
| 艺人 | yìrén | entertainer; performing artist; artisan; craftsman | HSK 6 |
| 文艺界 | wényìjiè | HSK 6 | |
| 手艺 | shǒuyì | craftmanship; workmanship | HSK 7-9 |
| 技艺 | jìyì | skill; art | HSK 7-9 |
| 演艺圈 | yǎnyìquān | show business | HSK 7-9 |
| 学艺 | xuéyì | to learn a skill or art | HSK 7-9 |
| 艺术家 | yìshùjiā | artist | |
| 艺术品 | yìshùpǐn | art piece; work of art | |
| 厨艺 | chúyì | cooking skills; culinary talent | |
| 综艺 | zōngyì | variety (entertainment format) |
艺 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 艺
How many strokes are in 艺?
艺 is written with 4 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 艺 mean?
艺 (yì) means art; talent, ability; craft. A common word with it is 艺术 (yìshù), meaning "art".
How do you pronounce 艺?
艺 is pronounced yì, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 艺?
The radical of 艺 is 艹, which carries the idea of "grass". Dictionaries list 艺 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 艺?
The traditional form of 艺 is 藝. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 艺 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 艺 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 艺 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 3.
What is the difference between 艺术 and 技术?
艺术 (yìshù) means art, like painting, music, or performance. 技术 (jìshù) means technology or technical skill. Both use 术, but 艺 points to artistic skill and 技 points to practical technique.
Does 艺人 mean artist?
In modern use, 艺人 (yìrén) usually means an entertainer or celebrity performer, such as a singer or actor. For a painter or fine artist, people more often say 艺术家 (yìshùjiā).