The character 严 — “strict”: how to write it and what it means
strict, severe
The Chinese character 严 is read yán and means “strict, severe”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 严
严 has 7 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 严, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
Words with 严
- 严格strictHSK 4
- 严重serious, severeHSK 4
- 严肃serious, sternHSK 5
- 严厉stern, severe (tone, measure)HSK 6
- 严寒bitterly cold, freezingHSK 6
- 严禁strictly prohibitHSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 严?
严 has 7 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 严 mean?
严 means “strict, severe”. It appears in 严格 (“strict”), 严重 (“serious”), 严肃 (“serious”), 严厉 (“stern”).
How do you pronounce 严?
严 is read yán. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 严 have?
7 strokes.
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 严 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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