陰 meaning and stroke order
The female principle; dark, shaded; hidden, implicit, secret
How to write 陰, stroke by stroke
10 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 陰
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- overcast (weather)
- cloudy
- shady
- Yin (the negative principle of Yin and Yang)
- negative (electric.)
- feminine
How 陰 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. The shaded side of a hill 阝; 侌 provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 阝 (place), shared by 160 characters on this site.
How to remember 陰
The left part 阝 is a hill, and 侌 (yīn) gives the sound. Picture the shaded side of a hill, the side the sun does not reach, and you have dark, shady, hidden 陰.
陰 (yīn) describes overcast weather, shade, and hidden or secret things, and it is the yin of yin and yang. In mainland China it is written in the simplified form 阴, which is what you see in words like 阴天 (yīntiān) and 阴谋 (yīnmóu). Example: 今天是阴天。(Jīntiān shì yīntiān.) Today is overcast.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes put 阝 on the right side, but on the left it means hill, while on the right it is a different component (as in 都). Also keep the first tone: yīn, not yín, which is the sound of 银 (silver).
Common words with 陰
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 陰天 | yīntiān | cloudy day; overcast sky | HSK 2 |
| 陰謀 | yīnmóu | to conspire; to plot; a conspiracy; a plot | HSK 6 |
| 陰影 | yīnyǐng | (lit. and fig.) shadow | HSK 6 |
| 陰暗 | yīn'àn | dim; dark | HSK 7-9 |
| 陰性 | yīnxìng | negative; feminine | HSK 7-9 |
| 陰莖 | yīnjīng | penis | |
| 陰道 | yīndào | vagina | |
| 陰陽 | yīnyáng | yin and yang | |
| 陰險 | yīnxiǎn | treacherous; sinister | |
| 陰蒂 | yīndì | clitoris | |
| 陰毛 | yīnmáo | pubic hair | |
| 陰部 | yīnbù | genitalia | |
| 光陰 | guāngyīn | time available | |
| 陰沉 | yīnchén | gloomy |
Characters that contain 陰
Learning 陰 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 陰
How many strokes are in 陰?
陰 is written with 10 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 陰 mean?
陰 (yīn) means the female principle; dark, shaded; hidden, implicit, secret. A common word with it is 阴天 (yīntiān), meaning "cloudy day; overcast sky".
How do you pronounce 陰?
陰 is pronounced yīn, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 陰?
The radical of 陰 is 阝, which carries the idea of "place". Dictionaries list 陰 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 陰?
陰 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 阴, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the opposite of 陰?
The opposite is 陽 (yáng), simplified 阳, meaning the sunny side of a hill. Together they form 阴阳 (yīnyáng), yin and yang.
Does 陰 always sound negative?
Not always. Words like 阴谋 (yīnmóu, plot) and 阴暗 (yīn'àn, dark) carry a negative feel, but 阴天 (yīntiān) just means a cloudy day. In science, 阴性 (yīnxìng) means a negative test result or negative charge, and in grammar it means feminine.