鹽 meaning and stroke order
Salt
How to write 鹽, stroke by stroke
24 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
- 16
- 17
- 18
- 19
- 20
- 21
- 22
- 23
- 24
Meaning of 鹽
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- salt
How 鹽 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Salt.
鹵 gives the meaning and 皿 hints at the sound.
Radical: 鹵 (salt), shared by 4 characters on this site.
How to remember 鹽
Picture a official 臣 leaning over a bowl 皿 full of crystals 鹵 from a salt pan. The 鹵 part carries the meaning of salt, and the whole shape shows salt being gathered into a dish.
鹽 (yán) is the traditional form used in Taiwan and Hong Kong; mainland China writes 盐. It appears in everyday cooking words like 盐水 (yánshuǐ, salt water) and 椒盐 (jiāoyán, pepper salt). Example: 請給我一點鹽。(Qǐng gěi wǒ yìdiǎn yán.) Please give me a little salt.
Common mistake: Learners often say yǎn or yàn instead of the rising second tone yán. Some also confuse 鹽 with 監 (jiān), which shares the top 臣 and bottom 皿 but lacks the 鹵 salt part.
Common words with 鹽
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 鹽水 | yánshuǐ | salt water; brine | |
| 椒鹽 | jiāoyán | seasoning mix of Sichuan pepper powder and salt |
Questions about 鹽
How many strokes are in 鹽?
鹽 is written with 24 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 鹽 mean?
鹽 (yán) means salt. A common word with it is 盐水 (yánshuǐ), meaning "salt water; brine".
How do you pronounce 鹽?
鹽 is pronounced yán, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 鹽?
The radical of 鹽 is 鹵, which carries the idea of "salt". Dictionaries list 鹽 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 鹽?
鹽 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 盐, used in mainland China and Singapore.
How do you say salty in Chinese?
Salty is 鹹 (xián), not 鹽. 鹽 is the substance salt, while 鹹 describes the taste, as in 太鹹了 (tài xián le), too salty.
Is 鹽 used in chemistry terms?
Yes. In chemistry 鹽 means a salt compound in general, for example 鹽酸 (yánsuān), hydrochloric acid. Table salt specifically is 食鹽 (shíyán).