額 meaning and stroke order
Forehead; quota, amount
How to write 額, stroke by stroke
18 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 額
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- forehead
- horizontal tablet or inscribed board
- specified number or amount
How 額 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Head.
頁 gives the meaning and 客 hints at the sound.
Radical: 頁 (page), shared by 45 characters on this site.
How to remember 額
額 combines 客 (kè, guest) on the left as the sound hint and 頁 (yè, head) on the right for meaning. Picture a guest bowing so low that their forehead, the front of the head, touches the floor.
In modern Chinese 额 rarely means forehead on its own; that sense usually appears as 额头 (étóu). Much more often it means a set amount or quota, especially money, as in 金额, 余额 and 名额. Example: 我的卡里余额不够。(Wǒ de kǎ lǐ yú'é bú gòu.) There is not enough balance on my card.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 额 with 客 (kè) because the left side matches, and some read it as kè by mistake. The correct reading is é with a rising second tone, not è.
Common words with 額
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 金額 | jīn'é | sum of money; amount of money | HSK 6 |
| 名額 | míng'é | quota; number of places | HSK 6 |
| 額外 | éwài | extra; added | HSK 7-9 |
| 巨額 | jù'é | a huge sum; an enormous amount (of money) | HSK 7-9 |
| 份額 | fèn'é | share; portion | HSK 7-9 |
| 數額 | shù'é | amount; sum of money | HSK 7-9 |
| 餘額 | yú'é | balance (of an account, bill etc); surplus | HSK 7-9 |
| 總額 | zǒng'é | total (amount or value) | HSK 7-9 |
| 高額 | gāo'é | high quota; large amount | HSK 7-9 |
| 差額 | chā'é | balance (financial); discrepancy (in a sum or quota) | HSK 7-9 |
| 額頭 | étóu | forehead | |
| 前額 | qián'é | forehead | |
| 全額 | quán'é | the full amount; full (compensation, scholarship, production etc) | |
| 焦頭爛額 | jiāotóulàn'é | lit. badly burned about the head (from trying to put out a fire) (idiom); fig. hard-presse |
Questions about 額
How many strokes are in 額?
額 is written with 18 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 額 mean?
額 (é) means forehead; quota, amount. A common word with it is 金额 (jīn'é), meaning "sum of money; amount of money".
How do you pronounce 額?
額 is pronounced é, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 額?
The radical of 額 is 頁, which carries the idea of "page". Dictionaries list 額 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 額?
額 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 额, used in mainland China and Singapore.
How do you say forehead in everyday Chinese?
Use 额头 (étóu) or, in some regions, 脑门 (nǎomén). The single character 额 for forehead mostly appears in written or set phrases.
What is the difference between 额外 and 另外?
额外 (éwài) means extra or beyond the normal amount, such as 额外的费用 (an extra fee). 另外 (lìngwài) means besides or in addition and often links sentences, so it is not limited to amounts.