養 meaning and stroke order
To raise, to rear, to bring up; to support
How to write 養, 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 養
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to raise (animals)
- to bring up (children)
- to keep (pets)
- to support
- to give birth
How 養 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Food.
食 gives the meaning and 羊 hints at the sound.
Radical: 食 (food), shared by 12 characters on this site.
How to remember 養
養 is 羊 (yáng, sheep) sitting on top of 食 (shí, food). Picture feeding a sheep to raise it. 羊 also gives the sound, since yáng and yǎng are close.
養 is the traditional form of 养 and covers raising animals, bringing up children, keeping pets, and supporting people. It also appears in words about nourishing and cultivating, like 營養 (yíngyǎng, nutrition) and 培養 (péiyǎng, to cultivate). Example: 我養了一隻貓。(Wǒ yǎng le yì zhī māo.) I keep a cat.
Common mistake: Learners often say yáng with a second tone because of the 羊 on top, but 養 is third tone, yǎng. Also do not confuse it with 癢 (yǎng, itchy), which has the sickness radical 疒 around it.
Common words with 養
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 營養 | yíngyǎng | nutrition; nourishment | HSK 3 |
| 培養 | péiyǎng | to cultivate; to breed | HSK 4 |
| 養成 | yǎngchéng | to cultivate; to raise | HSK 4 |
| 療養 | liáoyǎng | to get well; to heal | HSK 4 |
| 保養 | bǎoyǎng | to take good care of (or conserve) one's health; to keep in good repair | HSK 5 |
| 修養 | xiūyǎng | accomplishment; training | HSK 5 |
| 收養 | shōuyǎng | to take in and care for (an elderly person, a dog etc); to adopt (a child) | HSK 6 |
| 養老 | yǎnglǎo | to provide for the elderly (family members); to enjoy a life in retirement | HSK 6 |
| 撫養 | fǔyǎng | to foster; to bring up | HSK 7-9 |
| 養活 | yǎnghuo | to provide for; to keep (animals, a family etc) | HSK 7-9 |
| 領養 | lǐngyǎng | to adopt (a child, pet etc) | HSK 7-9 |
| 教養 | jiàoyǎng | to educate; to bring up; to nurture; upbringing; breeding; culture | HSK 7-9 |
| 養老金 | yǎnglǎojīn | pension | HSK 7-9 |
| 養老院 | yǎnglǎoyuàn | nursing home | HSK 7-9 |
Characters that contain 養
Learning 養 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 養
How many strokes are in 養?
養 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 養 mean?
養 (yǎng) means to raise, to rear, to bring up; to support. A common word with it is 营养 (yíngyǎng), meaning "nutrition; nourishment".
How do you pronounce 養?
養 is pronounced yǎng, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 養?
The radical of 養 is 食, which carries the idea of "food". Dictionaries list 養 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 養?
養 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 养, used in mainland China and Singapore.
Can 養 be used for plants?
Yes. 養花 (yǎng huā) means to grow flowers, and 養魚 (yǎng yú) means to keep fish. It works for anything you look after so it grows or stays healthy.
What is the difference between 養 and 撫養?
養 is the general everyday verb for raising or keeping. 撫養 (fǔyǎng) is more formal and specifically means to bring up a child, often in legal or family contexts.