顏 meaning and stroke order
Face, facial appearance
How to write 顏, 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 顏
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- color
- face
- countenance
How 顏 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Head.
頁 gives the meaning and 彥 hints at the sound.
Radical: 頁 (page), shared by 45 characters on this site.
How to remember 顏
顏 (yán) pairs 彥 (yàn) on the left, which gives the sound, with 頁 on the right, which means head. Picture a head showing its face and its color, and you have face and countenance.
Today 顏 most often appears in 颜色 (yánsè, color), and also in words about face or dignity like 颜面 (yánmiàn) and 厚颜无耻 (hòuyánwúchǐ). Example: 你喜欢什么颜色？(Nǐ xǐhuan shénme yánsè?) What color do you like?
Common mistake: Learners often say 颜色 with the wrong second syllable. It is yánsè, with a fourth tone sè, and in speech it can sound light, but it is never shǎi. Also, do not use 颜 alone to mean your face in daily speech. Use 脸 (liǎn) for that.
Common words with 顏
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
Questions about 顏
How many strokes are in 顏?
顏 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 顏 mean?
顏 (yán) means face, facial appearance. A common word with it is 颜色 (yánsè), meaning "color; countenance".
How do you pronounce 顏?
顏 is pronounced yán, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 顏?
The radical of 顏 is 頁, which carries the idea of "page". Dictionaries list 顏 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 顏?
顏 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 颜, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the difference between 顏 and 颜?
They are the same character. 顏 is the form used in Taiwan and Hong Kong, and 颜 is the simplified form used in mainland China. Simplification changed the right part 頁 to 页 and slightly changed the left part.
Does 顏 mean face in the sense of losing face?
Yes, in formal words. 颜面 (yánmiàn) can mean prestige or dignity, as in 颜面扫地 (yánmiàn sǎodì), to lose all face. In casual speech people more often say 丢脸 (diūliǎn) or 没面子 (méi miànzi).