魇 meaning and stroke order
Nightmare, bad dream
How to write 魇, 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 魇
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to have a nightmare
How 魇 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Ghost.
鬼 gives the meaning and 厌 hints at the sound.
Radical: 鬼 (ghost), shared by 17 characters on this site.
How to remember 魇
魇 is built from 厌 (yàn, to dislike) wrapped around 鬼 (guǐ, ghost). Picture a ghost you hate pressing down on you in your sleep, and 厌 also hints at the sound yǎn.
魇 rarely appears alone in modern Chinese. It mostly shows up in the word 梦魇 (mèngyǎn), which can mean a literal nightmare or a figurative one, like a painful memory. Example: 那场战争是他一生的梦魇。(Nà chǎng zhànzhēng shì tā yīshēng de mèngyǎn.) That war was the nightmare of his life.
Common mistake: Learners often read 魇 as yàn because the phonetic part 厌 is yàn, but 魇 is third tone, yǎn. Also keep in mind that 鬼 sits inside the 厂 shape of 厌, so don't write 鬼 beside 厌.
Common words with 魇
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 梦魇 | mèngyǎn | nightmare |
Questions about 魇
How many strokes are in 魇?
魇 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 魇 mean?
魇 (yǎn) means nightmare, bad dream. A common word with it is 梦魇 (mèngyǎn), meaning "nightmare".
How do you pronounce 魇?
魇 is pronounced yǎn, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 魇?
The radical of 魇 is 鬼, which carries the idea of "ghost". Dictionaries list 魇 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 魇?
The traditional form of 魇 is 魘. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 魇 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 梦魇 the same as 噩梦?
Both mean nightmare. 噩梦 (èmèng) is the everyday word for a bad dream. 梦魇 sounds more literary and is often used for a lasting, haunting experience.
What does 魇住了 mean?
魇住了 (yǎn zhù le) describes being stuck in a nightmare, especially the feeling of being held down and unable to move or wake up. It is close to what English speakers call sleep paralysis.