英 meaning and stroke order
Petal, flower, leaf; brave, heroic; English
How to write 英, stroke by stroke
8 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
- 8
Meaning of 英
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- hero
- outstanding
- excellent
- (literary) flower
- blossom
How 英 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Flower.
艹 gives the meaning and 央 hints at the sound.
Radical: 艹 (grass), shared by 421 characters on this site.
How to remember 英
英 is grass 艹 on top of 央 (yāng, center), which also hints at the sound. Picture the flower at the very center of a plant, the finest part, which is why 英 also means outstanding or heroic.
Today 英 most often appears in words about England and English, like 英语 (Yīngyǔ) and 英国 (Yīngguó), and in words for excellence like 英雄 (yīngxióng) hero and 精英 (jīngyīng) elite. Example: 我在学英语。(Wǒ zài xué Yīngyǔ.) I am studying English.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes write the bottom as 央 without the top bar or confuse it with 失 (shī, lose); the bottom of 英 is 央, a box-like frame with 大 through it. Also keep the first tone yīng, not yíng as in 赢 (yíng, win).
Common words with 英
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 英语 | Yīngyǔ | English (language) | HSK 2 |
| 英文 | Yīngwén | English (language) | HSK 2 |
| 英勇 | yīngyǒng | heroic; gallant | HSK 4 |
| 英雄 | yīngxióng | hero | HSK 6 |
| 英俊 | yīngjùn | handsome | HSK 7-9 |
| 英镑 | yīngbàng | pound sterling | HSK 7-9 |
| 精英 | jīngyīng | cream; elite | HSK 7-9 |
| 英里 | yīnglǐ | mile (unit of length equal to 1.609 km) | |
| 英尺 | yīngchǐ | foot (unit of length equal to 0.3048 m) | |
| 英寸 | yīngcùn | inch (unit of length equal to 2.54 cm.) | |
| 英哩 | yīnglǐ | variant of 英里[ying1 li3] | |
| 英明 | yīngmíng | wise; brilliant | |
| 英亩 | yīngmǔ | acre | |
| 英年早逝 | yīngniánzǎoshì | to die an untimely death (idiom); to be cut off in one's prime |
英 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 英
How many strokes are in 英?
英 is written with 8 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 英 mean?
英 (yīng) means petal, flower, leaf; brave, heroic; English. A common word with it is 英语 (Yīngyǔ), meaning "English (language)".
How do you pronounce 英?
英 is pronounced yīng, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 英?
The radical of 英 is 艹, which carries the idea of "grass". Dictionaries list 英 under this radical.
Is 英 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 英 is part of the HSK 2 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 英语 and 英文?
Both mean English. 英语 (Yīngyǔ) leans toward the spoken language and is the usual school subject name, while 英文 (Yīngwén) often refers to written English, like an English name or English text. In casual speech they are often interchangeable.
Why is 英 used for England?
英国 (Yīngguó) comes from a sound-based rendering of England, and 英 was chosen partly because its sound fits and its meaning, excellent, is positive. The same character then extends to things linked to Britain, like 英镑 (yīngbàng) pound sterling.