阴 meaning and stroke order
Overcast (weather); cloudy; shady
How to write 阴, stroke by stroke
6 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
Meaning of 阴
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- overcast (weather)
- cloudy
- shady
- Yin (the negative principle of Yin and Yang)
- negative (electric.)
- feminine
How 阴 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. The place 阝 of the moon 月; compare 阳.
Radical: 阝 (place), shared by 160 characters on this site.
How to remember 阴
阴 is the place 阝 of the moon 月. Where the moon rules, it is dark and shaded, the opposite of 阳 (yáng), the place of the sun 日.
In daily life 阴 most often describes the weather, as in 阴天 (yīntiān) cloudy day. It also appears in words about darkness and hidden things, like 阴影 (yīnyǐng) shadow and 阴谋 (yīnmóu) plot. Example: 今天阴天，可能会下雨。(Jīntiān yīntiān, kěnéng huì xià yǔ.) It is cloudy today, it might rain.
Common mistake: Learners often swap the right side with 阳 (yáng), which has 日 (sun). Remember that 月 moon goes with dark 阴 and 日 sun goes with bright 阳. Also keep the first tone flat. Do not let it drift into yǐn.
Common words with 阴
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 阴天 | yīntiān | cloudy day; overcast sky | HSK 2 |
| 阴谋 | yīnmóu | to conspire; to plot; a conspiracy; a plot | HSK 6 |
| 阴影 | yīnyǐng | (lit. and fig.) shadow | HSK 6 |
| 阴暗 | yīn'àn | dim; dark | HSK 7-9 |
| 阴性 | yīnxìng | negative; feminine | HSK 7-9 |
| 阴茎 | yīnjīng | penis | |
| 阴道 | yīndào | vagina | |
| 阴阳 | yīnyáng | yin and yang | |
| 阴险 | yīnxiǎn | treacherous; sinister | |
| 阴蒂 | yīndì | clitoris | |
| 阴毛 | yīnmáo | pubic hair | |
| 阴部 | yīnbù | genitalia | |
| 光阴 | guāngyīn | time available | |
| 阴沉 | yīnchén | gloomy |
阴 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 阴
Learning 阴 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 阴
How many strokes are in 阴?
阴 is written with 6 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 阴 mean?
阴 (yīn) means overcast (weather); cloudy; shady. A common word with it is 阴天 (yīntiān), meaning "cloudy day; overcast sky".
How do you pronounce 阴?
阴 is pronounced yīn, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 阴?
The radical of 阴 is 阝, which carries the idea of "place". Dictionaries list 阴 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 阴?
The traditional form of 阴 is 陰 and 隂. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 阴 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 阴 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 阴 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.
How do you say the weather is cloudy in Chinese?
You can say 天阴了 (tiān yīn le) for the sky has clouded over, or 今天是阴天 (jīntiān shì yīntiān) for today is overcast. 阴 can work by itself as a description, for example 天很阴 (tiān hěn yīn), the sky is very gray.
What does 阴性 mean on a medical test result?
On a test, 阴性 (yīnxìng) means negative, so the thing tested for was not found. The opposite is 阳性 (yángxìng), positive. In grammar, 阴性 can also mean feminine gender.