菸 meaning and stroke order
Tobacco, dried leaves; to fade
How to write 菸, 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
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
Meaning of 菸
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to wither
- dried leaves
- faded
- withered
How 菸 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Plant.
艹 gives the meaning and 於 hints at the sound.
Radical: 艹 (grass), shared by 421 characters on this site.
How to remember 菸
The grass radical 艹 on top marks a plant, and 於 (yú) below gives the sound. Picture a plant whose leaves have been dried out, like tobacco leaves hanging to cure.
In Taiwan and in traditional-character writing, 菸 (yān) is the standard character for tobacco and cigarettes, while mainland China usually writes 烟 (yān). You will see it on signs and packaging, for example 請勿吸菸 (qǐng wù xī yān), please do not smoke.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 菸 with 於 (yú), which has no grass radical on top and means at or in. Another trap is assuming 菸 is only a variant of 煙. In Taiwan, 菸 is preferred for tobacco, while 煙 is used for smoke from a fire.
Questions about 菸
How many strokes are in 菸?
菸 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 菸 mean?
菸 (yān) means tobacco, dried leaves; to fade.
How do you pronounce 菸?
菸 is pronounced yān, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 菸?
The radical of 菸 is 艹, which carries the idea of "grass". Dictionaries list 菸 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 菸?
菸 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 烟, used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 菸 pronounced yān or yū?
For tobacco and cigarettes it is read yān. The reading yū belongs to the older literary sense of withered or faded leaves, which you will rarely meet in modern speech.
How do you say cigarette using 菸?
A common word is 香菸 (xiāngyān), cigarette. Smoking is 抽菸 (chōu yān) or 吸菸 (xī yān).