Meaning of 羊
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- sheep; goat
Measure word: 頭|头,隻|只
- surname Yang
How to use 羊
羊 is a general word that covers both sheep and goats. Add a word to be specific: 山羊 (shānyáng) is a goat, and 绵羊 (miányáng) is a sheep. Example: 我不太喜欢吃羊肉。(Wǒ bú tài xǐhuan chī yángròu.) I don't really like eating mutton.
羊 (yáng) looks like a sheep's face seen from the front. The two dots on top are the horns, and the horizontal lines with the long vertical stroke form the head and body.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 羊 (yáng) with 洋 (yáng, ocean, foreign) because they sound the same, or write 羊 with its vertical stroke stopping short like in 美. In 羊 alone, the long vertical stroke goes all the way through the bottom line.
羊 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.
羊 yáng · sheep · 6 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 羊.
| 亡羊补牢 | wángyáng-bǔláo | lit. to mend the pen after sheep are lost (idiom); fig. to act belatedly |
| 山羊 | shānyáng | goat; (gymnastics) small-sized vaulting horse |
| 羔羊 | gāoyáng | sheep; lamb |
| 牧羊人 | mùyángrén | shepherd |
| 羊肉 | yángròu | mutton; goat meat |
| 羊毛 | yángmáo | wool; fleece |
| 替罪羊 | tìzuìyáng | scapegoat |
| 绵羊 | miányáng | sheep |
| 羊群 | yángqún | flock of sheep |
| 羚羊 | língyáng | antelope |
| 羊羔 | yánggāo | lamb |
| 羊水 | yángshuǐ | amniotic fluid |
Questions about 羊
What does 羊 mean?
羊 (yáng) means "sheep; goat" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 羊?
羊 is made of 1 character: 羊 (6 strokes). That is 6 strokes in total.
Is 羊 an HSK word?
Yes. 羊 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between the surname 羊 and the surname 杨?
Both are pronounced Yáng, but 杨 is one of the most common surnames in China. The surname 羊 is very rare. If someone says their surname is Yang, it is almost always 杨.
Why does 羊 appear in characters like 美 and 鲜?
羊 appears as a component in several characters, such as 美 (měi, beautiful) and 鲜 (xiān, fresh). Spotting it can help you break these characters into familiar parts and remember their shapes.