Meaning of 愿
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- (bound form) wish; hope; desire
- to be willing
- to wish (that sth may happen); may ...
- vow; pledge
- honest and prudent
- variant of 願|愿[yuan4]
How to use 愿
愿 is mostly used inside words like 愿意 (yuànyì, to be willing), 愿望 (yuànwàng, wish) and 志愿者 (zhìyuànzhě, volunteer). On its own it appears in formal wishes and blessings meaning "may ...". Example: 愿你一切顺利。(Yuàn nǐ yíqiè shùnlì.) May everything go well for you.
愿 is built from 原 (yuán, origin, source) on top of 心 (xīn, heart). A wish is something that comes from the source of your heart.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 愿 (yuàn, fourth tone) with 原 (yuán, second tone, original), since 愿 contains 原. Remember the 心 at the bottom marks feelings and wishes, and say it with a falling tone.
愿 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.
愿 yuàn · wish · 14 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 14
Related words
Words that share a character with 愿.
| 愿意 | yuànyì | to wish; to want |
| 愿望 | yuànwàng | desire; wish |
| 志愿者 | zhìyuànzhě | volunteer |
| 志愿 | zhìyuàn | aspiration; ambition |
| 自愿 | zìyuàn | voluntary |
| 意愿 | yìyuàn | aspiration; wish (for) |
| 心愿 | xīnyuàn | cherished desire; dream |
| 祝愿 | zhùyuàn | to wish |
| 宁愿 | nìngyuàn | would rather ... (than ...) |
| 但愿 | dànyuàn | if only (sth were possible); I wish (that) |
| 情愿 | qíngyuàn | willingness; would rather (agree to X than Y) |
| 遗愿 | yíyuàn | final wishes of the departed |
Questions about 愿
What does 愿 mean?
愿 (yuàn) means "(bound form) wish; hope; desire; to be willing" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 愿?
愿 is made of 1 character: 愿 (14 strokes). That is 14 strokes in total.
Is 愿 an HSK word?
Yes. 愿 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 愿 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 愿 is written 願.
What is the difference between 愿意 and 想?
愿意 (yuànyì) means you are willing or agree to do something, often when asked. 想 (xiǎng) simply means you want to or plan to. 我愿意帮你 means "I am willing to help you", while 我想帮你 means "I want to help you".
Can I say 愿 by itself in everyday speech?
In casual speech people usually say 愿意 instead of 愿 alone. 愿 alone sounds formal or literary and is common in blessings, toasts and written wishes, such as 愿世界和平 (yuàn shìjiè hépíng), may the world be at peace.