The character 沿 — “along”: how to write it and what it means

沿
yán

along

8 strokes · HSK 5 · word page

The Chinese character 沿 is read yán and means “along”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.

Stroke order: how to write 沿

沿 has 8 strokes. At each step the new stroke is highlighted — write them in the same order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical, a frame before what is inside it, and the bottom stroke of the frame last.

To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for 沿, with strokes to trace and empty squares.

What 沿 is made of

On the left, 氵 “water”: walking along a river. The right part is the same as in 船 chuán.

The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.

Words with 沿

Frequently asked questions

How do you write the character 沿?

沿 has 8 strokes. They follow the usual rules: top to bottom, left to right, horizontal before vertical, outside before inside. The order of each stroke is shown on this page.

What does 沿 mean?

沿 means “along”. It appears in 沿海 (“coast”).

How do you pronounce 沿?

沿 is read yán. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.

How many strokes does 沿 have?

8 strokes.

← 撞 crash into置 place →

More characters on the page “Chinese characters with meanings” and in the list of HSK characters by level; whole words are in the dictionary.

Write 沿 yourself

In the lessons you write characters stroke by stroke with a finger or a mouse, and the course checks the order. You can start for free, no sign-up needed.

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