音 meaning and stroke order
Sound, tone, pitch, pronunciation
How to write 音, stroke by stroke
9 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
Meaning of 音
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- sound
- noise
- note (of musical scale)
- tone
- news
- syllable
How 音 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A tongue 立 forming a sound in the mouth 日.
How to remember 音
The etymology hint pictures 立 on top as a tongue and 日 below as a mouth, so 音 (yīn) is a tongue moving inside a mouth to make a sound. Picture the tongue standing up in the mouth as you speak.
音 (yīn) rarely stands alone in speech and usually appears in words like 声音 (shēngyīn, sound, voice), 音乐 (yīnyuè, music) and 读音 (dúyīn, pronunciation). Example: 我喜欢听音乐。 (Wǒ xǐhuan tīng yīnyuè.) I like listening to music.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 音 (yīn) with 意 (yì, meaning), which has 音 on top plus 心 (heart) underneath. Also check that the bottom part is 日, not 曰 or 目.
Common words with 音
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 声音 | shēngyīn | sound; voice | HSK 2 |
| 音乐 | yīnyuè | music | HSK 2 |
| 音乐会 | yīnyuèhuì | concert | HSK 2 |
| 音节 | yīnjié | syllable | HSK 2 |
| 读音 | dúyīn | pronunciation; literary (rather than colloquial) pronunciation of a Chinese character | HSK 2 |
| 录音 | lùyīn | to record sound; an audio recording (CL:段[duan4]) | HSK 3 |
| 收音机 | shōuyīnjī | radio | HSK 3 |
| 语音 | yǔyīn | speech sounds; pronunciation | HSK 4 |
| 录音机 | lùyīnjī | (tape) recording machine; tape recorder | HSK 6 |
| 音量 | yīnliàng | loudness; volume | HSK 6 |
| 音像 | yīnxiàng | audio and video; audiovisual | HSK 6 |
| 口音 | kǒuyīn | (linguistics) oral speech sounds | HSK 7-9 |
| 噪音 | zàoyīn | rumble; noise | HSK 7-9 |
| 音响 | yīnxiǎng | sound; acoustics; audio; hi-fi system; stereo sound system (abbr. for 組合音響|组合音响[zu3 he2 yi | HSK 7-9 |
音 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 音
Learning 音 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 音
How many strokes are in 音?
音 is written with 9 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 音 mean?
音 (yīn) means sound, tone, pitch, pronunciation. A common word with it is 声音 (shēngyīn), meaning "sound; voice".
How do you pronounce 音?
音 is pronounced yīn, in the first tone (high and level).
Is 音 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 音 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 2.
What is the difference between 音 and 声?
Both relate to sound, and they combine in 声音 (shēngyīn). 声 (shēng) is the more everyday word for a sound or voice and also means tone in 四声 (sìshēng, the four tones), while 音 leans toward musical notes, syllables and pronunciation, as in 音节 (yīnjié) and 语音 (yǔyīn).
How do I say a word is pronounced wrong using 音?
You can say 发音不对 (fāyīn bú duì), meaning the pronunciation is not right. 发音 (fāyīn) means to pronounce or pronunciation, and 读音 (dúyīn) refers to how a specific character is read.