銀 meaning and stroke order
Silver; cash, money, wealth
How to write 銀, stroke by stroke
14 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 銀
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- silver
- silver-colored
- relating to money or currency
How 銀 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Money.
釒 gives the meaning and 艮 hints at the sound.
Radical: 釒 (gold), shared by 135 characters on this site.
How to remember 銀
銀 combines the metal radical 釒 (metal, gold) with 艮 (gèn), which gives the sound. Picture a precious metal that sounds like 艮 but is not quite gold: silver, the metal people used as money.
銀 (yín) appears mostly in compounds about money or the color silver. The most common is 銀行 (yínháng), bank, and in simplified Chinese it is written 银. Example: 我去銀行取錢。(Wǒ qù yínháng qǔ qián.) I am going to the bank to withdraw money.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 銀 (yín) with 很 (hěn) or 跟 (gēn), since all share 艮. Check the left side: only 銀 has the metal radical 釒. Also keep the second tone in yín, not yǐn as in 飲 (yǐn, drink).
Common words with 銀
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 銀行 | yínháng | bank | HSK 2 |
| 銀行卡 | yínhángkǎ | bank card | HSK 2 |
| 銀牌 | yínpái | silver medal | HSK 3 |
| 銀幕 | yínmù | movie screen | HSK 7-9 |
| 銀行家 | yínhángjiā | banker | |
| 銀色 | yínsè | silver (color) | |
| 銀子 | yínzi | money; silver | |
| 銀幣 | yínbì | silver coin | |
| 銀器 | yínqì | silverware | |
| 收銀員 | shōuyínyuán | cashier; checkout clerk | |
| 投資銀行 | tóuzīyínháng | investment bank | |
| 水銀 | shuǐyín | mercury; quicksilver | |
| 收銀機 | shōuyínjī | cash register; check out counter | |
| 白銀 | Báiyín | silver |
Questions about 銀
How many strokes are in 銀?
銀 is written with 14 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 銀 mean?
銀 (yín) means silver; cash, money, wealth. A common word with it is 银行 (yínháng), meaning "bank".
How do you pronounce 銀?
銀 is pronounced yín, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 銀?
The radical of 銀 is 釒, which carries the idea of "gold". Dictionaries list 銀 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 銀?
銀 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 银, used in mainland China and Singapore.
Why does 銀行 mean bank when 行 usually means walk or OK?
In 銀行 the character 行 is read háng and means a firm or trade, as in 行業 (hángyè), industry. So 銀行 is literally a silver firm, from the days when silver was the main currency.
Does 銀子 mean money in modern Chinese?
銀子 (yínzi) means silver or money, but it sounds old-fashioned and is mostly heard in historical dramas or jokes. In everyday speech people say 錢 (qián) for money.