颜 meaning and stroke order
Face, facial appearance
How to write 颜, stroke by stroke
15 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 颜
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- color
- face
- countenance
How 颜 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Head.
页 gives the meaning and 彦 hints at the sound.
Radical: 页 (page), shared by 39 characters on this site.
How to remember 颜
The right side 页 (yè) is a head, so 颜 is about the face. The left side 彦 (yàn) gives the sound, close to yán, so picture a handsome person 彦 showing off their face 页.
In everyday Chinese 颜 mostly appears in words, above all 颜色 (yánsè), which means color. It also carries the idea of face or dignity in words like 颜面 (yánmiàn). Example: 你喜欢什么颜色？(Nǐ xǐhuan shénme yánsè?) What color do you like?
Common mistake: Learners often write the left part as 产 (chǎn) and forget the three slanted strokes 彡 under it, which belong to 彦. Also note that in 颜色 the 色 is said sè, not shǎi as in some spoken words.
Common words with 颜
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
颜 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 颜
How many strokes are in 颜?
颜 is written with 15 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 颜 mean?
颜 (yán) means face, facial appearance. A common word with it is 颜色 (yánsè), meaning "color; countenance".
How do you pronounce 颜?
颜 is pronounced yán, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 颜?
The radical of 颜 is 页, which carries the idea of "page". Dictionaries list 颜 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 颜?
The traditional form of 颜 is 顏. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 颜 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 颜 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 颜 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.
Is 颜 the same as 脸 (liǎn) for face?
Not in daily speech. Use 脸 (liǎn) for your actual face, as in 洗脸 (xǐ liǎn) wash your face. 颜 is more literary and shows up in set words like 容颜 (róngyán) or 颜面 (yánmiàn).
Why does a character meaning face also mean color?
The dictionary lists both face and color as senses of 颜. Its first meaning in modern Chinese comes through 颜色 (yánsè), color, and through 颜料 (yánliào), paint or dye.