Meaning of 养
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to raise (animals)
- to bring up (children)
- to keep (pets)
- to support
- to give birth
How to use 养
养 is a common verb for raising animals, keeping pets, and bringing up or supporting family. It also appears in words about health and habits, like 保养 (bǎoyǎng) and 养成 (yǎngchéng). Example: 我养了一只猫。(Wǒ yǎng le yì zhī māo.) I have a cat.
The traditional form 養 has 羊 (yáng, sheep) on top and 食 (shí, food) below, so picture feeding a sheep to raise it. The simplified 养 keeps the sheep-like top, and the sound yǎng is close to 羊 yáng.
Common mistake: Learners often say 养 with second tone like 羊 (yáng, sheep), but 养 is third tone, yǎng. Also, do not confuse it with 样 (yàng, appearance), which has a 木 radical on the left.
养 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
养 yǎng · to raise · 9 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
Related words
Words that share a character with 养.
| 营养 | yíngyǎng | nutrition; nourishment |
| 培养 | péiyǎng | to cultivate; to breed |
| 养成 | yǎngchéng | to cultivate; to raise |
| 疗养 | liáoyǎng | to get well; to heal |
| 保养 | bǎoyǎng | to take good care of (or conserve) one's health; to keep in good repair |
| 修养 | xiūyǎng | accomplishment; training |
| 收养 | shōuyǎng | to take in and care for (an elderly person, a dog etc); to adopt (a child) |
| 养老 | yǎnglǎo | to provide for the elderly (family members); to enjoy a life in retirement |
| 抚养 | fǔyǎng | to foster; to bring up |
| 养活 | yǎnghuo | to provide for; to keep (animals, a family etc) |
| 领养 | lǐngyǎng | to adopt (a child, pet etc) |
| 教养 | jiàoyǎng | to educate; to bring up; to nurture; upbringing; breeding; culture |
Questions about 养
What does 养 mean?
养 (yǎng) means "to raise (animals); to bring up (children)" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 养?
养 is made of 1 character: 养 (9 strokes). That is 9 strokes in total.
Is 养 an HSK word?
Yes. 养 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 养 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 养 is written 養.
Can I use 养 for growing plants?
Yes. 养花 (yǎng huā) means to grow or keep flowers, usually potted plants at home. For crops on a farm, 种 (zhòng) is more common.
What does 养成习惯 mean?
养成习惯 (yǎngchéng xíguàn) means to form a habit. For example, 养成早睡的习惯 means to get into the habit of going to bed early.