额 meaning and stroke order
Forehead; quota, amount
How to write 额, 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.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 14
- 15
Meaning of 额
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- forehead
- horizontal tablet or inscribed board
- specified number or amount
- variant of 額|额[e2]
How 额 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Head.
页 gives the meaning and 客 hints at the sound.
Radical: 页 (page), shared by 39 characters on this site.
How to remember 额
额 is pictophonetic: 页 (head) gives the meaning, and 客 (kè, guest) hints at the sound. 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. It mostly appears in words about amounts and limits, like 金额 (jīn'é), 余额 (yú'é), and 名额 (míng'é). Example: 我的余额不够了。(Wǒ de yú'é bú gòu le.) My balance isn't enough.
Common mistake: Learners often read 额 as kè because of the 客 part, but it is é, second tone. Also don't confuse it with 颜 (yán, face; color), which shares the 页 side.
Common words with 额
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 金额 | jīn'é | sum of money; amount of money | HSK 6 |
| 名额 | míng'é | quota; number of places | HSK 6 |
| 额外 | éwài | extra; added | HSK 7-9 |
| 巨额 | jù'é | a huge sum; an enormous amount (of money) | HSK 7-9 |
| 份额 | fèn'é | share; portion | HSK 7-9 |
| 数额 | shù'é | amount; sum of money | HSK 7-9 |
| 余额 | yú'é | balance (of an account, bill etc); surplus | HSK 7-9 |
| 总额 | zǒng'é | total (amount or value) | HSK 7-9 |
| 高额 | gāo'é | high quota; large amount | HSK 7-9 |
| 差额 | chā'é | balance (financial); discrepancy (in a sum or quota) | HSK 7-9 |
| 额头 | étóu | forehead | |
| 前额 | qián'é | forehead | |
| 全额 | quán'é | the full amount; full (compensation, scholarship, production etc) | |
| 焦头烂额 | jiāotóulàn'é | lit. badly burned about the head (from trying to put out a fire) (idiom); fig. hard-presse |
额 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 额
How many strokes are in 额?
额 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 额 mean?
额 (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 额?
额 is pronounced é, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 额?
The radical of 额 is 页, which carries the idea of "page". Dictionaries list 额 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 额?
The traditional form of 额 is 頟 and 額. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 额 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 额 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 额 is part of the HSK 6 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do you say forehead in everyday Chinese?
People usually say 额头 (é tóu) or, in some regions, 脑门 (nǎo mén). 额 alone for forehead is mostly found in written or set expressions.
Why do Chinese internet users write 额 as a filler word?
Online, 额 is used to show hesitation or awkwardness, like English "uh" or "um". This comes from its sound é. It is informal and not part of the dictionary meaning.